Government of Canada announces the creation of a College
GOVERNMENTOFCANADAANNOUNCESTHECREATION
OFACOLLEGE
LOUIS-PIERREGRAVELLE*
ROBIC,LLP
LAWYERS,PATENTANDTRADEMARKAGENTS
OnApril26,2018,duringaWorldIPDayeventinOttawa,theMinisterofInnovation,
ScienceandEconomicDevelopment,theHonourableNavdeepBains,unveiledfurther
detailsoftheIPStrategy,announcedinpartinthelastfederalbudget.
OneofthekeycomponentsannouncedisthecreationofaCollegeofPatentand
TrademarkAgents.ThisisaprojectthattheIPprofessioninCanadahasbeenworking
onforthelast23years,ledbytheIntellectualPropertyInstituteofCanada,ifwhichmany
ifnotmostFICPICanadamembersarealsomembers.
InCanada,mostprofessionalorders,suchaslawyers,doctors,nurses,etc.,areregulated
byeachprovince.However,sincethePatentActandtheTrademarkActareoffederal
jurisdiction,theprovincesdonothavetheauthoritytoregulateprofessionalsundereach
ofthesestatutes.Therearecurrentlyverylimitedsectionsdealingwithregistrationasan
Agent,butnorealframeworkformaintainingqualifications,fordiscipliningagents,andfor
establishingaCodeofEthics.Infact,IPICvoluntarilyadoptedaCodeofEthicsafew
yearsago,inordertoprovideitsmemberswithguidance.Thisalsocreateduncertainty
astowhichprofessionalbodywouldsanctionanagentthatwasalsoamemberofanother
professionalbody,suchasalawsocietyoranengineeringsociety.
ThegovernmenthasmovedforwardwiththecreationoftheCollege,providingasolid
frameworkforincreasingpublicconfidenceintheIPsystem,byprovidingamandatory
codeofethics,continuingeducationrequirementsandadisciplineprocess.Allofthe
abovewillcontinuetonurtureacultureofinnovationinCanada.Thisframework
recognizesthatpatentandtrademarkagentsarekeyplayersinobtainingIPrightsin
Canada,andwillprovidearobust,highlytrainedIPcommunityofprofessionalstosupport
theinnovationagendaoutlinedbyalllevelsofgovernment.
ThelegislationenablingthecreationoftheCollegeisexpectedintheFallof2018,aspart
ofaBudgetImplementationAct(BIA2),andthetransitionfromlegislationtooperationis
expectedtotake24months.
©CIPS,2018.*Louis-PierreGravelleisalawyer,engineerandpatentagentinCanadaandtheUnitedStates,partner
forROBIC,LLP,afirmoflawyers,patentandtrademarkagents.