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ARTICLE · 22 AUGUST 2023

CIPO Announces Revisions To AI-Generated Pre-Assessment Letters

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On August 7, 2023, CIPO announced a significant update to its AI-generated "pre-assessment" letters, indicating that, effective immediately, the letters will identify the particular goods and/or services that may require amendment ...

CanadaIntellectual Property
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
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On August 7, 2023, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) announced a significant update to its AI-generated "pre-assessment" letters, indicating that, effective immediately, the letters will identify the particular goods and/or services that may require amendment in order to comply with current Trademarks Office practice standards.

Since early 2022, the Examination Branch at CIPO has been issuing "pre-assessment" letters prior to an application being assigned to an examiner. These letters were intended to provide applicants with a sense of whether their applications are in formal compliance with the provisions of the Trademarks Act and Trademarks Regulations, particularly in respect of the specificity requirements – however, until now, the letters provided no details and simply alerted applicants to the existence of possible problems without explaining what particular goods and/or services might require amendment.

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