The Canadian government quietly tabled five intellectual property treaties in the House of Commons on Monday: Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, five treaties, entitled, one, Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, adopted […]
Post Tagged with: "Patent"
Policy Laundering Lies Behind Ottawa’s Support for IP Treaties
Appeared in the Toronto Star on March 23, 2013 as Policy Laundering Lies Behind Ottawa’s Support for Trade Treaties Last week, the House of Commons Committee on Industry, Science and Technology released its long-awaited report on intellectual property in Canada. The report was the result of months of study with […]
Industry Committee Report on Intellectual Property: A Case of Policy Laundering for CETA and TPP
The Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology released its report on the Intellectual Property Regime in Canada yesterday. The report is the result of lengthy hearings that focused on a wide range of IP issues including patent reform, trademarks, counterfeiting, and pharmaceutical protection. While most the recommendations are fairly innocuous – the committee identifies many issues for further study – there are essentially three main legislative reform recommendations. One involves limiting the scope of official marks, which appears to be the result of comments from Dalhousie law professor Rob Currie (echoed by CIPO’s Sylvain Laporte) expressing concern with governmental abuse of official marks in a way that may stifle innovation.
The other two are particularly interesting as they set the stage for the Canada – EU Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. First, the report recommends anti-counterfeiting measures similar to those required by CETA and found in Bill C-56. Should criticism arise over Bill C-56 or CETA, the government will likely point to this report in support.
The second involves a classic case of policy laundering as the government has manufactured support for CETA and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) provisions that were not even raised at committee. The report recommends:
European Reports Indicate Ongoing Battle over CETA IP Provisions
The European Commission hosted an information session for non-governmental groups on Europe’s current trade negotiations. The Canada – EU Trade Agreement was the first discussed. Both Ends, a Dutch NGO, reports that European officials indicated that they are still unhappy with the Canadian position on copyright and patents. While the […]
Supreme Court Serves Stunning Reminder of the Patent Bargain
Appeared in the Toronto Star on November 18, 2012 as Supreme Court Serves Stunning Reminder of the Patent Bargain The House of Commons Committee on Industry, Science and Technology has spent the past few months hearing from a myriad of companies on the Canadian intellectual property system. With few public […]
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