Intellectual Property Weekly Abstracts Alert - Week Of March 19, 2012

The regulations affecting trademarks weren't fully in effect until 2025. More than a year later, the number of complaints against businesses has never been higher.

In late 2024, two important amendments to the Copyright Act—Bills C-244 and C-294—received royal assent, giving individuals and businesses more freedom to bypass Technological Protection Measures...

Are you ready for changes to the Charter of the French Language ("Charter") that will come into force on June 1, 2025? Bill 96 was enacted on June 1, 2022, with its various provisions taking effect...

Intellectual property (IP) can add significant value to a business and developing a strong IP portfolio requires investment of both time and resources.

In Ontario, business owners typically consider franchising versus licensing as they plan to grow their company. Both methods promote growth through the resources of a third party, but they work in dramatically different ways.

Canada's intellectual property landscape has undergone significant transformation with the April 2025 trademark amendments, March 2026 CIPO patent guidance on software and AI, and evolving trade secret protections.

On July 17, 2024, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) launched a new electronic system and portal, MyCIPO Patents, as part of its Next Generation Patents initiative.

Before using a trademark in Canada or applying to register a trademark, it is highly recommended to instruct a trademark agent to conduct an availability search on the Canadian Register...

CanLII, Canada's free legal database, and Caseway, an AI legal research platform, have reportedly reached a settlement in their copyright dispute over the use of legal case data for artificial intelligence training purposes. The resolution addresses concerns about unauthorized use of publicly available legal materials and the boundaries of AI development in the legal technology sector.

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled on the patentability of pharmaceutical dosing regimen claims in Pharmascience v Janssen, establishing new legal guidance for determining whether patent claims...

On March 5, 2025, Canada published a Final State of PFAS Report finding that the entire class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)...

The United States has escalated its trade dispute with Canada by imposing import bans on alcoholic beverages, dairy products, and motorcycles under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, while Canada responds with matched counter-tariffs on $27.6 billion worth of U.S. goods. Following the collapse of bilateral negotiations in August 2026, both nations have entered an unprecedented phase of trade restrictions that extends beyond traditional tariffs to include procurement exclusions and threatens further auto

A major U.S. vendor agreement has established a rigorous new AI safety standard for educational technology, prohibiting the use of student data for AI training and enforcing strict data minimization. While the standard does not directly bind vendors in Canada, Canadian school boards can leverage this precedent to demand equivalent contractual protections and strengthen their own AI governance frameworks.

The Supreme Court of Canada held its second annual ceremony marking the opening of the judicial year at its temporary home in the West Memorial Building, with Chief Justice highlighting the Court's increased caseload and architectural features. What significant constitutional and legal challenges will the Court address in its fall 2026 session, including cases on firearm regulations, Crown immunity, and vicarious liability?

The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization’s (CIRO) proposed Incorporated Approved Person model could materially change how client-facing advisors structure their businesses and receive compensation with significant impacts to sponsoring firms. The proposed rule amendments, published on July 9, 2026, would introduce a harmonized incorporated compensation option for client-facing Approved Persons across CIRO regulated dealers. Comments are due November 6, 2026.

On July 2, 2026, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) published its updated Guidance on the Common Reporting Standard (Updated CRS Guidance).

The Government of British Columbia has published the Restricted Insurance Agent Licence Regulation, introducing a new restricted licensing framework...

In June 2022, Health Canada introduced new nutrition labelling regulations for prepackaged foods. A key feature of these regulations is the mandatory use of a front-of-package (FOP) nutrition symbol...

​The amendments to the Contaminated Sites Regulation, which take effect November 1st, 2017, will incorporate new soil, water, and vapour standards.

Since April 1, 2021, residential projects of at least 450 m² (about 5 units or more) in Montréal have been subject to the By-law for a Diverse Metropolis (the BDM).