The IP Year 2007 In Review: Copyright (Part 3)

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 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 Office has introduced a new expedited examination program for patent applications in critical technology sectors. The Key Technology Expedited Program waives the advanced examination fee and promises first office action within seven months for qualifying applications related to critical minerals supply chain innovations.

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office has issued new guidance on when trademark applicants can redact postal addresses or remove documents from public records. Understanding these strict requirements and exceptional circumstances is crucial for protecting privacy while maintaining compliance with Canada's trademark registration transparency obligations.

The rapid expansion of data centre infrastructure has made these facilities a focal point for technological innovation and intellectual property investment. From server configurations to advanced cooling systems, the technologies deployed inside data centres represent significant R&D expenditure and competitive advantages. Patent protection offers operators and developers opportunities to safeguard innovations...

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.

For Canadian innovators, the patenting process can seem unreasonably slow. In an effort to address this, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) created various procedures to expedite the examination process in Canada. Knowing which fast track options exist, when they make sense, and how to use them effectively can provide a significant commercial advantage.

Recent US case law has raised the possibility that the common practice of including an expiry date in a non-disclosure agreement or "NDA" (also known as a confidentiality agreement)...

The patent landscape is evolving as entrepreneurs and investors seek new approaches to protecting IP rights consistently across jurisdictions. Organizations like the Intellectual Property Owners Association provide forums to voice concerns, analyze issues, and advance policies aimed at accelerating innovation across borders.

In a plot twist no one saw coming—except literally everyone—Warner Bros. and DC Comics are facing yet another legal battle over Superman.

Effective September 8, 2026, Canada implemented retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. goods in response to the initial 50% tariffs imposed by the US under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. To operationalize these measures, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued Customs Notice 26-23, establishing binding administrative rules on how the surtax will be applied, calculated, and collected.

This Bulletin summarizes key regulatory developments impacting the payments sector in 2025 and looks ahead to 2026.

A regulatory shift now under consideration in Ontario could reshape how the province’s medical aesthetic clinics operate. The proposal, which would change how nurses are authorized to administer medical aesthetic services, invites a broader look at how Ontario currently regulates cosmetic injections and how the proposed changes would align the province more closely with the regulatory frameworks already in place elsewhere in Canada. While these procedures are often marketed as routine “spa” services, they remain medical acts that involve prescription products and carry clinical risks.

With Labour Day now behind us, Parliament Hill is gearing up for its September 21 return. Canada’s counter-tariffs on nearly $28 billion in American goods are now in force, and the United States has already escalated in response: President Trump has signed measures to ban certain Canadian alcohol, dairy-related products, molasses, non-alcoholic beer, motorcycles and mopeds from entering the U.S. market as of September 29, while modifying the list of Canadian goods subject to 50% tariffs effective September 15 and directing action to remove Canadian-origin products from U.S. government procurement schedules.

Under Order in Council 1358-2026, the Québec government authorizes, from September 7, 2026 to January 31, 2027, the Centre d'acquisitions gouvernementales (the “CAG”) to depart from the general principle that public calls for tenders must be open and without discrimination to foreign suppliers from jurisdictions bound by an intergovernmental agreement with Québec.

Canada has announced the imposition of new tariffs on US goods beginning on September 8, 2026. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs were introduced in response to US tariffs on Canadian goods that entered into force on August 22, 2026.

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) published its third quarterly release of the year on September 10, 2026, noting that the targeted adjustments made to its guidance were made with a view to supporting a resilient and competitive Canadian financial system.

On July 29, 2026, Health Canada announced that it had obtained a permanent injunction against a Québec-based company in connection with the sale of unauthorized injectable peptides in Canada. The announcement reflects Health Canada’s continued focus on peptide products and serves as a reminder that injectable peptides intended for human use are regulated as prescription drugs and are subject to Canada's drug regulatory framework.

On September 21, 2026, the federal government introduced Bill C-39 (the Building Canada Strong Act) for first reading – an omnibus bill that proposes significant amendments to the Canada Labour Code (the “Code”).

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, are increasingly used in Canada for commercial purposes such as infrastructure inspection, real estate photography, agriculture, filmmaking, mapping and resource exploration. Their advantages are clear: they are flexible, relatively inexpensive and capable of collecting information from angles and locations that would otherwise be difficult to access.