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How to Accelerate a Canadian Patent Application?

2014-12-10

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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.

2
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

3
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

4
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$)

5
Green
technology
2months3months2monthsNone
PPH
programs3months6months3monthsNone
Accelerated
Examination
3months3months3months$500
Voluntary
Amendment12-24
months6months12-24
monthsNone
1Fromthefilingdateoftherequest2FromtheemissiondateofthefirstPatentOffice
Action.3Fromtheresponsedate

Pourdesservicesdeconseilsdansledomainedelapropriété
intellectuelleetdestechnologiesdel’informationetdescommunications
(incluantlesservicesd’agentsdebrevetsetdemarquesdecommerce)
demêmequedesservicesjuridiques.

ROBIC,ungrouped’avocatsetd’agentsdebrevetsetdemarquesde
commercevouédepuis1892àlaprotectionetàlavalorisationdelapropriété
intellectuelledanstouslesdomaines:brevets,dessinsindustrielsetmodèles
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MarquesdecommercedeROBIC,S.E.N.C.R.L.poursesservicesde
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Forservicespertainingtointellectualproperty,technologyand
communicationlawandrelatedmatters(includingpatentandtrade-mark
agencyservices)aswellaslegalservices.

8
agroupoflawyersandofpatentandtrademarkagentsdedicatedsince1892to
theprotectionandthevalorizationofallfieldsofintellectualproperty:patents,
industrialdesignsandutilitypatents;trademarks,certificationmarksand
indicationsoforigin;copyrightandentertainmentlaw,artistsandperformers,
neighbouringrights;computer,softwareandintegratedcircuits;
biotechnologies,pharmaceuticalsandplantbreeders;tradesecrets,know-
how,competitionandanti-trust;licensing,franchisingandtechnology
transfers;e-commerce,distributionandbusinesslaw;marketing,publicityand
labelling;prosecutionlitigationandarbitration;duediligence.
®/MD

COPYRIGHTER
TM/MC

IDEASLIVEHERE
®/MD

ILATOUTDEMÊMEFALLUL’INVENTER!
®/MD

LAMAÎTRISEDESINTANGIBLES
®/MD

LEGERROBICRICHARD
®/MD

NOSFENÊTRESGRANDESOUVERTESSURLEMONDEDESAFFAIRES
®/MD

PATENTER
®/MD

orstylizedR
®/MD

ROBIC®/
MD

orstylizedROBIC++++
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orstylizedROBIC+DROIT+AFFAIRES+SCIENCES+ARTS
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orstylizedROBIC+LAW+BUSINESS+SCIENCE+ART
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THETRADEMARKERGROUP
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VOSIDÉESÀLAPORTÉEDUMONDE,DESAFFAIRESÀLAGRANDEURDE
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YOURBUSINESSISTHEWORLDOFIDEAS;OURBUSINESSBRINGSYOUR
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