On October 29th, Canada's federal government
tabled a budget implementation bill that includes over 800 pages of
proposed legislative changes; some of which relate to patents,
trademarks, and copyright. Within the section on the
Patent Act, many of the proposed changes are directed to
very narrow exceptions or are intended to only clean up the
language of the Act; e.g. there are numerous amendments to
ensure that relevant provisions apply to a certificate of
supplementary protection for a patent. However, there are a number
of substantial changes proposed by the bill which would affect
patent practice in Canada. Many of these changes respond to
concerns expressed by Canadian businesses, but these changes appear
to primarily address how individuals interact with granted patents;
there is nothing in the provisions that enhances or enables
Canadian businesses to make better use of the Canadian patent
system to protect their own innovations.
