The State Of IP In Canada

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office has issued a report entitled IP Canada Report 2016, discussing trends in IP use domestically, and by Canadians abroad, based on analysis of CIPO's internal data and those collected by the World Intellectual Property Organization. 

There are few surprises, and the report highlights the close relationship between the economies of Canada and the United States.  Half of Canadian patent and industrial design applications are filed by US applicants as are a third of all Canadian trademark applications.  In kind, when Canadians file IP applications abroad, more than half are filed in the US.

The Patent Cooperation Treaty continues to make gains as the preferred filing route, with PCT-route applications now making up 80% of all patent applications filed at CIPO.