On April 21, 2015 the Federal Government released its 2015 budget plan. The announcement contains
proposals to amend Canada's cornerstone IP Acts—the
Trademarks Act, Patent Act, Industrial Design Act, and
Copyright Act—to, in the Government's words,
"further modernize Canada's intellectual property
framework to keep pace with internationally recognized best
practices". The proposed changes continue the trend that we
saw started in last year's budget plan, of Canada positioning
itself to be able to accede to international IP treaties.
Trademarks Act,Patent Act, and Industrial
Design Act Amendments—Statutory Privilege and Force Majeure
Relief
The proposed changes to the Trademarks Act, Patent Act,
and Industrial Design Act will provide patent and
trademark agents with a statutory privilege for confidential
communications with clients. This should provide certainty
surrounding communications between clients and intellectual
property agents and will bring Canada in
