Update from the Canadian Trademarks Office - Practice Notice on Extensions of Time in Examination and Section 44.1 Notice. https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr04736.html
Canadian Trademarks Office - Update on Exclusionary Language Used in wording of Goods/Services in response to Office Actions In a Practice Notice dated July 19, 2021, The Canadian Trademarks Office (TMO) updated its guidance on the use of exclusionary language in goods and services in response to office actions (generally used to overcome confusion objections). [...]
Trademark and Business Considerations The revisions tabled May 13, 2021, by the Quebec provincial government, under Bill 96-An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Quebec, will have a significant impact on businesses (including brands, signage, commercial packaging and labelling and business documents). As a fair amount of debate is likely, the finalization [...]
Expedited Examination in Limited Instances In view of ongoing extensive wait times in examination, the Trademarks Office announced on May 3, 2021 it will accept requests for expedited trademark examination. These requests must be submitted in the form of a Statutory Affidavit or Declaration. No fees apply. See the information provided in the link: https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr04946.html There [...]
Ontario Strengthens Innovation with 900 Postsecondary Student Internships On April 27, 2021, the Ontario government announced that they would support 900 postsecondary student internships to help businesses, start-ups and new entrepreneurial companies grow and protect Ontario made innovations. The announcement forms part of Ontario’s previously announced $39.5 million investment to create up to 8,000 paid [...]
Under normal circumstances, licenses are granted by patentees, allowing others to make, use, or sell an invention under an agreed set of terms and conditions. On rare occasions, patentees are compelled by a third party – usually a government entity – to issue a compulsory license. Historically, these licenses have been used to counteract anti-competitive [...]
Although copyright actions arise in many different fields, we don’t typically associate copyright with sports. Indeed, trademarks are most often used to protect sports logos and catchphrases. However, this week in the basketball world, Toronto Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard filed an action in the US District Court for the Southern District of California alleging that [...]
USMCA negotiations completed late last year with the parties signing it at the end of November. With it, the complete text of the agreement was released to the public for their reading pleasure. Clocking in at close to two thousand pages, most will see the text as a great substitute for Nyquil. Of course, despite [...]
Earlier this year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Hasbro, Inc. a trademark for the scent of its beloved toy modelling compound, Play-Doh. There is something uniquely distinctive and nostalgic about the scent of Play-Doh, which according to its registered trademark is defined as a “sweet, slightly musky, vanilla fragrance, with slight overtones of [...]
Celebrity endorsements and testimonials have long dominated in advertising campaigns, and for good reason. Celebrities provide a familiar face and an enviable lifestyle, whereas testimonials lend greater credibility to a product or brand. In the last decade however, there has been a marked shift in this advertising model, one which places ‘influencers’ at the forefront [...]
