Make Some Noise: Canadian Intellectual Property Office to Accept Sound Marks
ROBIC,LLPwww.robic.cainfo@robic.com
MONTREAL1001Square-Victoria-BlocE-8thFloorMontreal,Quebec,CanadaH2Z2B7Tel.:+1514987-6242Fax:+1514845-7874
QUEBEC2828LaurierBoulevard,Tower1,Suite925Quebec,Quebec,CanadaG1V0B9Tel.:+1418653-1888Fax.:+1418653-0006
MAKESOMENOISE:CANADIANINTELLECTUALPROPERTYOFFICETO
ACCEPTSOUNDMARKS
CATHERINEDAIGLE*
ROBIC,LLP
LAWYERS,PATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS
Nearly20yearsafterfilingitsapplication,Metro-Goldwyn-MayerLionCorp.(MGM)
willlikelyhaveitsroaringlionsoundmarkregisteredaccordingtoaFederalCourt
orderrenderedtothateffect.
Nearly20yearsafterfilingitsapplication,Metro-Goldwyn-MayerLionCorp.(MGM)
willlikelyhaveitsroaringlionsoundmarkregisteredaccordingtoaFederalCourt
orderrenderedtothateffect.
Thisorderwillindeedgiverisetoasignificantchangeinpracticebywhichthe
CanadianIntellectualPropertyOffice(CIPO)willnowacceptsoundsastrade-marks.
Althoughsoundshavealreadybeenrecognizedasregistrabletrade-markswithin
severaljurisdictions,includingintheUnitedStatesandtheEuropeanUnion,Canada
ratheractedasadiscordantvoicebyrefusingtoacceptthemassuch.
ThroughtheissuanceofaPracticeNoticedatedMarch28th,2012,CIPOremedied
thesituationwhileclarifyingtherequirementsforregistrationapplicationsconcerning
soundsastrade-marks.SaidPracticeNoticereversesCIPO’slongstandingpolicyto
notacceptsoundmarks.
Anapplicationfortheregistrationforasoundmarkshouldthereforeincludethe
followinginformation:
-astatementindicatingthattheapplicationisforasoundmark;
-adrawingthatgraphicallyrepresentsthesoundmark;
-adescriptionofthesound;and
-anelectronicrecordingofthesound.
ThePracticeNoticefurtherindicatesthattheonlyelectronicrecordingsthatwillbe
acceptedmustbeeitherinMP3orWAVEformat,havetobelimitedto5megabytes
insizeandberecordedonaCDorDVD.
Anysubmittedelectronicrecordingshouldnotincludeanyloopingorrepetitionofthe
soundmarkwhichistheobjectoftheapplication.
©CIPS,2012.*FromROBIC,LLP,multidisciplinaryfirmofLawyers,andPatentandTrade-markAgents.Published
intheSpring2012(Vol.16,no.1)Newsletterofthefirm.Publication068.147E.
ROBIC,LLPwww.robic.cainfo@robic.com
MONTREAL1001Square-Victoria-BlocE-8thFloorMontreal,Quebec,CanadaH2Z2B7Tel.:+1514987-6242Fax:+1514845-7874
QUEBEC2828LaurierBoulevard,Tower1,Suite925Quebec,Quebec,CanadaG1V0B9Tel.:+1418653-1888Fax.:+1418653-0006
2
Forthetimebeing,anyapplicationforasoundmarkshallbesubmittedonpaperand
notthroughCIPO’sonlinefilingsystem.Applicantsshallsubmittherecordingofthe
sounduponproductionoftheirapplication.
Aswithanyothertrade-marks,thesoundmarkwillhavetomeettheother
requirementsforregistration,includingbeingusedforthepurposeofdistinguishing
thewaresorservicesassociatedwithitfromthoseofothers.
AlthoughitisnotpossibletosearchtheCanadiantrade-marksdatabaseforsound
marksatthismoment,itisneverthelesspossibletolistentothemwhenaccessingto
thesoundmarkssectionnowavailableonCIPO’swebsite.
SincethepublicationofthePracticeNoticeandexceptforMGM’smark,lessthan10
soundmarkshavebeenappliedfor.Incomparison,itisworthnotingthatthereare
currentlylessthan1000soundmarksontheAmericanregister,whichapproximately
includes4millionstrade-marks.
BeyondtheinitialenthusiasmthatsoundmarksmaycreateinCanada,itremainsto
beseenwhether,astimepasses,wewillsaythattheymademuchnoisefornothing,
orelseiftheywillbeconsideredaresounding
success.
ROBIC,ungrouped’avocatsetd’agentsdebrevetsetdemarquesdecommercevouédepuis1892à
laprotectionetàlavalorisationdelapropriétéintellectuelledanstouslesdomaines:brevets,dessins
industrielsetmodèlesutilitaires;marquesdecommerce,marquesdecertificationetappellations
d’origine;droitsd’auteur,propriétélittéraireetartistique,droitsvoisinsetdel’artisteinterprète;
informatique,logicielsetcircuitsintégrés;biotechnologies,pharmaceutiquesetobtentionsvégétales;
secretsdecommerce,know-howetconcurrence;licences,franchisesettransfertsdetechnologies;
commerceélectronique,distributionetdroitdesaffaires;marquage,publicitéetétiquetage;poursuite,
litigeetarbitrage;vérificationdiligenteetaudit.ROBIC,agroupoflawyersandofpatentand
trademarkagentsdedicatedsince1892totheprotectionandthevalorizationofallfieldsofintellectual
property:patents,industrialdesignsandutilitypatents;trademarks,certificationmarksandindications
oforigin;copyrightandentertainmentlaw,artistsandperformers,neighbouringrights;computer,
softwareandintegratedcircuits;biotechnologies,pharmaceuticalsandplantbreeders;tradesecrets,
know-how,competitionandanti-trust;licensing,franchisingandtechnologytransfers;e-commerce,
distributionandbusinesslaw;marketing,publicityandlabelling;prosecutionlitigationandarbitration;
duediligence.
COPYRIGHTER
IDEASLIVEHERE
ILATOUTDEMÊMEFALLUL’INVENTER!
LAMAÎTRISEDESINTANGIBLES
LEGERROBICRICHARD
NOSFENÊTRESGRANDESOUVERTESSURLEMONDEDESAFFAIRES
PATENTER
R
ROBIC,LLPwww.robic.cainfo@robic.com
MONTREAL1001Square-Victoria-BlocE-8thFloorMontreal,Quebec,CanadaH2Z2B7Tel.:+1514987-6242Fax:+1514845-7874
QUEBEC2828LaurierBoulevard,Tower1,Suite925Quebec,Quebec,CanadaG1V0B9Tel.:+1418653-1888Fax.:+1418653-0006
3
ROBIC
ROBIC+DROIT+AFFAIRES+SCIENCES+ARTS
ROBIC++++
ROBIC+LAW+BUSINESS+SCIENCE+ART
THETRADEMARKERGROUP
TRADEMARKER
VOSIDÉESÀLAPORTÉEDUMONDE,DESAFFAIRESÀLAGRANDEURDELAPLANÈTE
YOURBUSINESSISTHEWORLDOFIDEAS;OURBUSINESSBRINGSYOURIDEASTOTHE
WORLD
Trade-marksofROBIC,LLP(“ROBIC”)