CIPO's New Specificity Guidelines For Goods And Services: What You Need To Know

Those familiar with filing and prosecuting trademark applications in Canada will know that the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has among the world's most stringent standards for assessing the specificity of goods and services claimed in such applications.

To assist trademark counsel and brand owners in interpreting these standards, on September 18, 2024, CIPO released new Specificity Guidelines for the Goods and Services Manual (Specificity Guidelines). This article provides a summary of the Specificity Guidelines, including clarifications on the requirements for specifying goods and services.

What are the requirements?

By way of background, paragraph 30(2)(a) of the Trademarks Act requires that an application contain "a statement in ordinary commercial terms of the goods or services in association with which the trademark is used or proposed to be used." Additionally, section 29 of the Trademarks Regulations requires that such statement "describe