How to Accelerate a Canadian Patent Application?
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HOWTOACCELERATEACANADIANPATENTAPPLICATION?
GABRIELLEMOISANETKARINALAFLAMME*
ROBIC,
LLP
L
AWYERS,PATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS
TheCanadianIntellectualPropertyOffice(CIPO)willnotbeginexaminationofa
patentapplication,unlessarequestforexaminationhasbeenmadewithinfiveyears
fromthefiling/prioritydateoftheapplication.
Dependingonthetechnologicalfieldoftheinvention,afirstOfficeActionisthen
usuallyissuedbytheCIPOwithinafewmonthstoafewyearsfromthefilingdateof
therequestforexamination.TheApplicantisthenentitledtofilearesponsewithin6
monthsfromtheemissiondateoftheOfficeAction.AnunlimitednumberofOffice
ActionsmaybeissuedbeforeissuanceofaNoticeofAllowance.Thus,prosecution
ofapatentapplicationcanbealengthyprocess.
Fortunately,oncetheapplicationhasbeenpublishedandtherequestforexamination
hasbeenfiled,expeditedpatentexaminationofanapplicationisavailableupon
requestinCanada.Therearefouroptionstoexpediteexaminationofapatent
application:1)Ifthesubject-matteroftheinventionisgreentechnology;
2)ThroughProsecutionHighwayprograms(PatentProsecution
Highway(PPH)programandPatentCooperationTreaty-Patent
ProsecutionHighwayprogram(PCT-PPH));
3)Throughrequestingacceleratingexaminationuponafeetoavoid
jeopardizingtherightsoftheentityseekingacceleratedexamination;
and
4)Voluntaryamendment.
Eachoptionmaypresentdifferentrequirementstomakearequestorisentitledto
makesucharequest,whentherequestcanbemade,andthefeesinvolved.
1)Greentechnology
Apatentapplicationcanbenefitfromanexpeditedexaminationiftheapplication
relatestogreentechnology.TheApplicantmustsubmitthefollowingdeclarationto
©CIPS,2014.*FromROBIC,LLP,amultidisciplinaryfirmofLawyers,andPatentandTrade-markAgents.Publishedin
theFall2014(Vol.18,no.2)Newsletterofthefirm.Publication068.184.
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theCIPO:“theapplicationrelatestotechnologythecommercializationofwhichwould
helptoresolveormitigateenvironmentalimpactsorconservethenatural
environmentresources”.TheCanadianPatentOfficehasyettoprovideadetailed
definitionofwhatconstitutesgreentechnologyandhaspurposelyleftthedefinition
broadsoastoencompassawiderangeofenvironmentallybeneficialinventions.This
optionisstillopenoncetheexaminationhasbegun.
FirstPatentOfficeAction
AfirstPatentOfficeActionshouldbeissuedwithintwomonthsofthefilingdateofthe
expeditedexaminationrequest.TheApplicantisentitledtorespondwithinthree
monthsfromtheemissiondateofthePatentOfficeAction;asecondPatentOffice
ActionoraresponsefromtheExaminershouldbeissuedwithintwomonthsof
receivingtheApplicant’sresponse.
IftheApplicantrequestsanextensionfordoinganythingwithrespecttothe
application,oriftheapplicationisabandonedbeforebeingreinstated,theapplication
nolongerbenefitsfromtheexpeditedexamination.
Fees
Thereisnogovernmentalfeeassociatedwiththistypeofexpeditedexamination.
2)ProsecutionHighwayprograms(PPHandPCT-PPH)
ThePPHprogramsprovidethataCanadianpatentapplicationbeadvancedoutof
turnforexaminationif:1)apositivereportwasestablishedregardingacorresponding
internationalpatentapplication(PCT)bytheCIPOoraforeign
cooperatingpatentofficeduringtheinternationalphase(PPH-PCT);
and/or
2)thereareoneormoreclaimsofacorrespondingregularnational
patentapplicationtobefoundallowablebyaforeigncooperating
patentoffice(PPH).
InorderfortheCanadianapplicationtobeadvancedoutofturnunderthePPHor
PCT-PPHprograms,thefollowingcriteriamustalsobemet:
i.thePPHrequestisfiledbytheApplicant;
ii.examinationoftheapplicationmustnothavealreadybegun;
iii.theCanadianpatentapplicationandtheforeignpatentapplication
(PPH)ortheCanadianpatentapplicationandthePCTapplication
(PPH-PCT)formingthebasisofthePPHrequestmusthavethe
sameearliestdate(thisisthefilingorprioritydate);and
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v.allclaimsonfileintheCanadianpatentapplication,asoriginallyfiled
orasamended,sufficientlycorrespond(i.e.beofthesamecategory
andofthesameorsimilarscope)tooneormoreoftheclaims
indicatedasallowablebytheforeignpatentoffice(PPH)orindicated
ashavingnovelty,inventivestepandindustrialapplicabilityinthe
internationalreport(PPH-PCT).
TheforeignpartnerpatentofficescurrentlyunderthePPHprogram(eitherthrough
theGlobalPPHorbilateralagreements)areAustralia,China,Europe,Denmark,
Finland,Germany,Hungary,Iceland,Israel,Japan,Korea,Mexico,NordicPatent
Institute,Norway,Portugal,Russia,Spain,Sweden,UnitedKingdom,Singaporeand
UnitedStatesofAmerica.
FirstPatentOfficeAction
AfirstcommunicationfromtheExaminershouldbeissuedwithinthreemonthsofthe
filingdateoftherequestforexpeditedexaminationundertheProsecutionHighway
programsandtheApplicantisentitledtorespondwithinsixmonthsfromtheemission
dateofthePatentOfficeAction.AsecondPatentOfficeActionoraresponsefrom
theExaminershouldbeissuedwithinthreemonthsofreceivingtheApplicant’s
response.Iftheapplicationisabandonedandthenreinstated,theapplicationstill
remainsinthePPHprogram.
Fees
Thereisnogovernmentalfeeassociatedwiththistypeofexpeditedexamination.
3)AcceleratedExamination
Undersection28(1)(a)ofthePatentRules,theCIPOshalladvanceoutofitsroutine
ordertheexaminationoftheapplicationontherequestofanyperson,onpaymentof
thefee,iffailuretoadvancetheapplicationislikelytoprejudicethatperson’srights.
TheCIPOwilllikelygrantthistypeofacceleratedexaminationforoneofthefollowing
reasons:infringementislikelytooccurinCanada,amonetarygrantwasallowed,an
agreementwithathirdpartywasconcludedoranyothervaluablereason.Thisoption
isstillopenoncetheexaminationhasbegun.
FirstPatentOfficeAction
AfirstPatentOfficeActionshouldbeissuedwithinthreemonthsofthefilingdateof
theacceleratedexaminationrequest.TheApplicantisentitledtorespondwithinthree
monthsfollowingtheemissiondateofthePatentOfficeAction,andasecondPatent
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OfficeActionoraresponsefromtheExaminershouldbeissuedwithinthreemonths
ofreceivingtheApplicant’s
response.
IftheApplicantrequestsanextensionfordoinganythingwithrespecttothe
applicationoriftheapplicationisabandoned,theapplicationnolongerbenefitsfrom
theexpeditedexamination,butasecondacceleratedexaminationcouldberequested
uponpaymentofthefee.
Fees
Thistypeofrequestforacceleratedexaminationmustbeaccompaniedbya
governmentfeeof$500.
4)VoluntaryAmendment
Oncetherequestforexaminationhasbeenfiled,beforeanoticeofallowanceis
issued,theApplicantmayatanytimeamendtheclaimsinthehopeofreducingthe
numberofrejectionsandtoacceleratetheissuanceofanoticeofallowance.Theset
ofclaimsmaybebasedonacorrespondinggrantedsetofclaims.
FirstPatentOfficeAction
AfirstcommunicationfromtheExaminershouldbeissuedwithin12-24monthsofthe
filingdateofthevoluntaryamendmentandtheApplicantisentitledtorespondwithin
sixmonthsfromtheemissiondateofthePatentOfficeAction.AsecondPatentOffice
ActionoraresponsefromtheExaminershouldbeissuedwithin12monthsof
receivingtheApplicant’sresponse.Iftheapplicationisabandonedandthen
reinstated,theapplicationstillfollowsitsregularpath.
Fees
Thereisnogovernmentalfeeassociatedwiththefilingofavoluntaryamendment.
TablesummarizingthedelayforemittingfirstandsecondPatentOfficeActions,the
timelimitforrespondingtothePatentOfficeActionsandthefeesassociatedwiththe
threeoptionsofexpeditingexamination.
Expedited
Examination
Options
Emission
ofafirst
Office
Action1
Timelimit
torespond
tothefirst
Office
Action2
Emission
ofa
second
Office
Action3
Government
fee(foreach
option)
(CAD$)
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Green
technology
2months3months2monthsNone
PPH
programs3months6months3monthsNone
Accelerated
Examination
3months3months3months$500
Voluntary
Amendment12-24
months6months12-24
monthsNone
1Fromthefilingdateoftherequest2FromtheemissiondateofthefirstPatentOffice
Action.3Fromtheresponsedate
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