Canada has emerged as a popular jurisdiction for trademark designations under the Madrid Protocol, a global system facilitating streamlined protection of marks across multiple countries. According to WIPO’s Madrid Yearly Review 2023, Canada was the fourth most popular recipient of designations in Madrid Applications, after the United Kingdom, European Union, and the United States.
Recently Smart & Biggar's Trademarks team hosted a webinar addressing Canada-specific issues for those pursuing Canadian designations of international registrations. This article provides a summary of key insights from the webinar, including tips for those navigating the intricacies of extending trademark protection to Canada and guidance about some quirks and unusual aspects of the Canadian registration process.
1. Consider filing broadly, and narrowing the goods or services only if CIPO raises an objection
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has some of the strictest requirements in the world when it comes to the degree of specificity of goods and services required in a trademark application. Read more