CIPO releases its Annual Report 2017–2018: Helping make Canada a global centre of innovation

News release

February 1, 2019—Gatineau—Canadian Intellectual Property Office

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) Annual Report for 2017–2018 was tabled in the House of Commons on January 30, 2019.

CIPO continues to contribute to the Government of Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan, and it plays an active role in implementing Canada's Intellectual Property Strategy.

During the 2017–2018 fiscal year, the first year of CIPO's Five-Year Business Strategy (2017–2022), CIPO made significant progress toward the implementation of five international intellectual property (IP) treaties for industrial design, trademarks and patents. In November 2018, CIPO completed accession to the Hague Agreement for industrial design. Joining the five IP treaties will help Canadian businesses looking to enter or expand their presence in international markets.

CIPO's Patent Branch received the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)'s ISO 9001:2015 certification in June 2017, positioning CIPO among the world's leaders in delivering quality patent rights.

CIPO has launched a new strategy for achieving service excellence and has increased engagement with clients.

CIPO launched its new IP awareness and education program in May 2017 to better equip Canadian innovators and companies to use IP as a strategic tool to help them grow and succeed in the marketplace.

Going forward, CIPO is committed to ensuring that Canada's businesses and entrepreneurs are aware of the value of IP and are equipped to make the most of their creative endeavours.

Quotes

"In Canada, we have an ambitious agenda to help make our country a global centre of innovation. To support this vision, we at CIPO help Canadian innovators better understand, protect and leverage their IP and compete on the global stage. As a team, we strive for success and excellence in serving our clients and are proud to help advance innovation and contribute to Canada's economic success."

Johanne Bélisle, Commissioner of Patents, Registrar of Trade-marks and Chief Executive Officer

Quick facts

  • In 2017–2018, CIPO received more than 34,000 patent applications and granted more than 24,000 new patents. The time between a client's request for examination and the moment a patent is granted reached an average of 33.6 months in 2017–2018, down 3.1 months from the previous year.

  • CIPO started a recruitment campaign to hire up to 60 new patent examiners over the next three to five years.

  • The volume of trademark applications at CIPO has been steadily rising, reaching more than 60,000 in 2017–2018, which represents an increase of over 8% from the previous year.

  • In 2017–2018, the volume of industrial design applications increased to more than 6,600, representing an 8% increase.

  • Last year, CIPO held 150 seminars across Canada with a total of 1,900 participants, covering topics such as the foundations of IP, patents and trademarks, how to develop an IP strategy and how to protect your IP in China.

  • In 2017–2018, our Client Service Centre received more than 48,000 enquiries and met its service standards 99% of the time.

Associated links

Contacts

Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
343-291-1777
ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca

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