After much anticipation, Canada's new Trademarks
Act (the "Act"), came into force on June 17, 2019.
The Act introduced significant changes to Canadian trademarks laws
which, together with the associated Trademarks
Regulations, align Canada's trademark prosecution and
enforcement processes with those of the United States and the
European Union, and facilitate Canada's implementation of
international intellectual property treaties.
Some of the key changes under the new Act are outlined
below:
- Canada's accession to the Madrid
Protocol enables Canadian and international trademark owners to
apply for registration of their marks in multiple jurisdictions
through a centralized global system comprised of three stages.
First, the applicant files an application for international
registration in its national intellectual property office, which
will certify the application and forward it to the World
Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO"). Next, WIPO
formally examines
