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{{REVIEWEDPLS | reviewer = Ling Wong, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP |date= July 2018}} {{Dial-A-Law TOC|expanded = business}}
Inventors, designers, writers, other creative people, and entrepreneurs naturally want to protect the things they create. The laws involved in protecting ideas, inventions and designs are called '''intellectual property''' laws.
==What you should know==


{{Dial-A-Law TOC|expanded = consumer}}
===The meaning of "intellectual property"===
Inventors, designers, entrepreneurs, writers and other creative and business people often want to protect their ideas and business inventions. But how do you protect an invention, or the brand name of a product, or the words of a song? Through patents, industrial designs, trade-marks and copyright—and sometimes as trade secrets. This script discusses these types of what the law calls “intellectual property”.
'''Intellectual property''' is property in ideas, inventions and designs — intangible things that people create.


A '''patent''' protects new, useful and ingenious inventions.


=Patents=
An '''industrial design''' registration provides protection for the original visual features of a product.
==What is a patent?==
Suppose that a company, National Mousetrap Corporation, has developed a new and better mousetrap. To protect that invention, it can apply for a patent.  


A patent is essentially a contract between an inventor and the federal government. The government gives you, the inventor, the right to prevent others from making, selling or using your invention in Canada (and possibly elsewhere) for the life of the patent. In return, you share the technological information behind your invention, so that others can benefit from and build on this knowledge when the patent expires or they obtain a licence from you.
A '''trademark''' is a combination of letters, words, sounds or designs that distinguishes one business’ goods or services from those of others.


==How do you get a patent?==
'''Copyright''' provides protection for literary, artistic, dramatic and musical creations.
[http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00001.html Apply for a patent] to the [http://www.cipo.gc.ca/ Canadian Intellectual Property Office] (CIPO) in Hull, Quebec. You have to pay the required fees. Your application must describe your invention in full and show that it is new and useful, and has inventive ingenuity.  


But the Patent Office does not look at your application automatically. Within 5 years, you must formally ask the Office to consider your application and you must pay the fee. About 2 years after you’ve paid this fee, a government patent examiner familiar with the subject matter will examine your application and decide if it meets the requirements for a patent. If the examiner has any objections to the application, they will issue an examiner’s report explaining why they are rejecting the application. The inventor (or a patent agent they hire) must then respond within a certain time with arguments or amendments (or both) to support their application. The process can take 1 to 4 or more years, and after that, if your application is approved, you’ll receive your patent.
A '''non-disclosure agreement''' protects trade secrets and confidential business information.


==How long does a patent last?==
===A federal government agency administers intellectual property===
A patent lasts for up to 20 years from the time you first submitted your patent application. To keep your patent alive, you must pay annual government maintenance fees.
The '''Canadian Intellectual Property Office''' (CIPO) is the federal government agency responsible for administering intellectual property in Canada. This office is where you file an application to protect intellectual property. [http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/Home They can be contacted online] or by toll-free phone at 1-866-997-1936.


==A patent application is a complicated process==
==Patents==
Most applicants hire a registered patent agent or patent lawyer to help them with the complicated application process. You can get a list of registered patent agents from the Patent Office at CIPO.


==Time is of the essence==
===A patent protects inventions===
If you’re concerned about a competitor being on the same track, you should submit your patent application for your invention as soon as possible. In most countries, including Canada, the person who applies first to the Patent Office is given the patent over another person who applies later, claiming the same invention. This is true even if the second person can prove that they invented the same product before the first person did.
A '''patent''' is an agreement between an inventor and the federal government. The government gives the inventor the right to prevent others from making, selling or using their invention in Canada (and possibly elsewhere) for the life of the patent. In return, the inventor shares the technological information behind their invention, so others can benefit from and build on this knowledge when the patent expires.


Also, any public disclosure, use or sale of your invention starts a one-year clock ticking. After that one year, you cannot obtain a valid patent for your invention. Most countries, other than Canada and the US, don’t allow this one-year grace period—they don’t allow any public disclosure before a patent application can be validly filed, and you could lose your right to obtain a patent internationally if you rely on the one-year grace period in Canada. So it’s important to keep your invention secret and to file your patent application (or evaluate your other options) before you publicly disclose your invention.
A company, let’s call it National Mousetrap Corporation, that has developed a new and better mousetrap can apply for a patent to protect it.


A patent can be a valuable business asset. It gives the patent owner the competitive advantage of a limited monopoly. A patent owner can license the patent to others or sell it.


=Industrial design=
A patent lasts for up to 20 years from the time the patent application is first submitted.
==What is an industrial design?==
Returning to the mousetrap example, imagine that the company has also designed its mousetrap so that it has an attractive shape or design that appeals to consumers. But the company is worried that a competitor might soon copy the look and visual design of the mousetrap. To protect the design, the company can [http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00004.html apply to CIPO for an industrial design].  


An industrial design protects the unique shape or ornamental appearance of a product. (This differs from a patent, which generally protects how an invention works). Examples of industrial design include the shape of a table, the pattern of a fabric, the visual design of a computer keyboard, and the decoration on the handle of a spoon.  
===How to get a patent===
You can [https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00001.html apply for a patent] by filing a patent application with the [http://www.cipo.gc.ca/ Canadian Intellectual Property Office] (CIPO). You have to pay the required fees. Your application must describe your invention in full and show you would put it into practice. The invention must meet patentability requirements, meaning that it is new and useful, and has inventive ingenuity.


==How do you protect an industrial design?==
The Patent Office will not review your application unless you ask them to. Within five years of filing the patent application, you must formally ask the CIPO to consider (or examine) your application. You must pay the examination fee.
[http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00004.html Apply to CIPO for an industrial design]. You have to pay the required fees. You must apply within one year after the design, or an article showing the design, has first been publicly used, displayed or sold. Registration protects an industrial design for 10 years, but a maintenance fee must be paid after 5 years. Many countries outside of Canada and the US require you to submit your application for registration before there is any public disclosure of your design, the same as with patents.


About 18 months after you’ve paid this fee, a government patent examiner familiar with the subject matter will examine your application and decide if it meets the requirements for a patent. If the examiner has any objections to the application, they will issue an examiner’s report explaining why they are rejecting it. The applicant (or a patent agent they hire) must then respond within a certain time with arguments or amendments (or both) to support their application. The process can take one to four or more years before a patent is granted.


=Trademarks=
{| class="wikitable"
==What are trade-marks?==
|align="left"|'''Tip'''
Now suppose that the company, National Mousetrap Corporation, has also developed a catchy name to brand the product or a distinctive logo to use on the boxes the mousetraps are sold in and in magazine ads for its mousetraps. To prevent competitors from using the same logo or name, it would apply for trade-mark registration. (Copyright protection for the logo may also be available, discussed later.)
Most applicants hire a registered patent agent or patent lawyer to help them with the application process. A list of registered patent agents is available from the [http://www.ic.gc.ca/cipo/pa-br/agents.nsf/pagents-eng?readform CIPO] and from the [https://ipic.ca/find-an-agent Intellectual Property Institute of Canada] (IPIC).
|}
===Time limits for submitting a patent application===
If you’re concerned about a competitor being on the same track, you should submit your patent application as soon as possible. In all countries, including Canada, the person who applies first gets the patent over another person who applies later, claiming the same invention. This is normally true even if the second person can prove they developed the invention before the first person did.


==What is a trade-mark?==
Also, in Canada and the US, any public disclosure, use or sale of your invention starts a one-year clock running. After that one year, if you have not filed a patent application, you cannot get a valid patent for your invention. Many countries don’t allow this one-year grace period — they don’t allow any public disclosure before a patent application can be validly filed. You could lose your right to obtain a patent internationally if you rely on the one-year grace period in Canada. So it’s important to keep your invention secret and file a patent application (or assess your other options) before you publicly disclose your invention.
A trade-mark is a word, logo, symbol or design (or a combination of these) used to distinguish a product or service from competitors in the minds of consumers. The red “K” on a box of Kellogg’s Cornflakes, and the alligator on Lacoste t-shirts, are familiar trade-marks.  


==How do you protect a trade-mark?==
==Industrial designs==
[http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00002.html Apply to CIPO for a trade-mark] and pay the required fee. You may file a trade-mark application based on use (if you have already started using the trade-mark in your business) or based on proposed use (you intend to use the trade-mark soon, but you haven’t yet started using it). The application is then reviewed by a trade-marks examiner who decides it the application meets the requirements for registration (for example, is it confusing with any prior registrations or applications). After examination and publication of your trade-mark, and if no one opposes it, your trade-mark will be registered.


Although trade-mark applications are not as tricky and complex as patent applications, it’s still best to hire a trade-mark agent to help you with the process. The Trade-marks Office at CIPO a list of agents.  
===An industrial design registration protects unique visual design===
Returning to the mousetrap example, imagine the company has designed its mousetrap so it has an attractive shape or design that appeals to consumers. But the company is worried that a competitor might soon copy the look and visual design of the mousetrap. To protect the design, the company can [http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00004.html apply for an industrial design registration] from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.


==Registering a trade-mark isn’t essential, but can be helpful==
An industrial design registration protects the original visual features of a product. (This differs from a '''patent''', which generally protects how an invention works.) Examples of industrial design that people might seek to protect include the shape of a table, the pattern of a fabric, the visual design of a computer keyboard, or the decoration on the handle of a spoon.
While you don’t have to register a trade-mark to use it, registration gives you the exclusive right to use your trade-mark throughout Canada for 15 years and the right to stop others from using a mark that is confusingly like yours. You can also renew your trade-mark every 15 years if you continue to use it in your business. On the other hand, an unregistered trade-mark can be protected only where you can prove the trade-mark is known and has an established reputation.


===How to apply for an industrial design registration===
You can [http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00004.html apply for an industrial design registration] from the CIPO. You have to pay the required fees. You must apply within one year after the design, or an article showing the design, has first been publicly used, displayed or sold.


=Copyright=
Many countries outside of Canada and the US require you to submit your application for registration before there is any public disclosure of your design, the same as with patents.
==What is copyright?==
Suppose that the mousetrap company is ready to launch an advertising campaign. Its advertising department has created a brilliant script for a TV commercial. The law of copyright protects the ownership of the script.


==What does copyright mean?==
Registration protects an industrial design for 10 years, but a maintenance fee must be paid after five years.
In Canada, the law automatically gives the author, artist or creator of original works like poems, books, plays, musical scores, software codes and paintings ownership rights or “copyright” in that creation. Many items in your business—such as your logo, website, advertising materials and more—are probably protected by copyright. Simply put, copyright means that no one else can copy or substantially reproduce your work without your permission. This right generally lasts during your lifetime plus another 50 years after your death.  


==When does copyright not apply?==
==Trademarks==
There is no copyright in ideas; only the original expression of an idea can be copyrighted. And if you use your artistic work on a useful article, such as a decorative lamp or goblet, by using the article as a model or pattern to make 50 or more decorative lamps or goblets, then copyright protection, with some exceptions, isn’t usually available., You generally have to apply for registration of an industrial design instead. You also can’t claim copyright in a very short combination of words, such as the title of a book or song.


==Do you have to register your copyright?==
===Trademark registration protects words and logos===
No, because copyright is automatic, you don’t have to register it. But [http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00003.html registering a copyright with CIPO] (and paying the required fees) can help prove you own the copyright, especially if you have to sue someone for what’s called “infringement” of your copyright. When you register your copyright, you are the presumed owner of the work and the burden of proof is on the person challenging your copyright to disprove your ownership. If you don’t register your copyright, the burden of proof is on you to prove that you own the copyright.
Suppose the National Mousetrap Corporation, in addition to designing a unique mousetrap, has also developed a catchy name to brand the product. Or it might have developed a distinctive logo to use on the boxes the mousetraps are sold in and in magazine ads for its mousetraps. To prevent competitors from using the same brand name or logo, it can apply for trademark registration. (Copyright protection for the logo may also be available, discussed later.)


==How to contact the Canadian Intellectual Property Office==
A '''trademark''' is a combination of letters, words, sounds or designs that distinguishes one business’ goods or services from those of others in the minds of consumers. The words “Under Armour” on athletic clothing, the red “K” on a box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, and the alligator on Lacoste t-shirts, are familiar trademarks.


:[http://www.cipo.gc.ca/ Canadian Intellectual Property Office]
===How to protect a trademark===
:Place du Portage Phase I
You can [http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00002.html apply to register a trademark] with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. You must pay the required fee. You may file a trademark application based on use (if you have already started using the trademark in your business) or based on proposed use (you intend to use the trademark soon, but you haven’t yet started using it).
:50 Victoria Street
:Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0C9


:1.866.997.1936.
Your application is reviewed by a trademark examiner who decides if the application meets the requirements for registration (they consider, for example, whether it is confusing with any prior registrations or applications). If the application is approved, the trademark is published (to give others a chance to oppose the application). If no one opposes it, your trademark will be registered.


=Non-disclosure agreements=
Although trademark applications are not as tricky and complex as patent applications, it’s still helpful to hire a trademark agent to handle the process. The Trademarks Office at the CIPO keeps [http://www.ic.gc.ca/cipo/mc-tm/agents.nsf/tmagents-eng?readform&wt_src=cipo-tm-main a list of trademark agents]. So does the [https://ipic.ca/find-an-agent Intellectual Property Institute of Canada] (IPIC).
==Can you protect trade secrets and confidential business information?==
Courts recognize that businesses should also be able to protect their trade secrets and certain business information that they want to keep confidential. This could include special recipes, training manuals, methods of doing business and inventions that aren’t patented—all of which is kept secret from the public. You don’t register this type of information. Having employees, customers or business partners sign a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement is the most common way to protect this secret and confidential information, and if someone breaks the agreement, you can sue them. One risk with a trade secret is that once it is no longer secret, it can be lost. Without a contractual obligation, nothing can prevent someone else from independently creating or reverse engineering the subject matter of your trade secret.


===You don’t have to register a trademark, but there are advantages to doing so===
You don’t have to register a trademark to use it. But there are advantages to registering. Registration gives you the exclusive right to use your trademark (with the types of goods or services the trademark is registered for) throughout Canada for 15 years. It also gives you the right to stop others from using a mark that is confusingly like yours.


=Summary=
On the other hand, an unregistered trademark can be protected only where you can prove the trademark is known and has an established reputation.
* '''Patents''' protect new, useful and ingenious inventions.
* '''Industrial designs''' protect the shape or ornamental appearance of manufactured goods.
* '''Trade-marks''' protect words, symbols and logos used to distinguish the goods or services of one trader from those of another.
* '''Copyright''' protects original books and poems, computer program websites, artwork, music, movie scripts, performances, and similar things.
* '''Non-disclosure agreements''' protect trade secrets and confidential business information.


==Copyright==


[updated November 2016]
===Copyright protects literary, artistic, dramatic and musical creations===
Suppose the National Mousetrap Corporation, having developed its unique mousetrap, is ready to launch an advertising campaign. Its advertising department creates a brilliant script for a TV commercial. The law of '''copyright''' protects the ownership of the script.


'''The above was last reviewed for accuracy by Ling Wong via David Wotherspoon, and edited by John Blois.'''
In Canada, the law automatically gives the author, artist or creator of original works like poems, books, plays, musical scores, computer programs, and paintings ownership rights or “copyright” in that creation. Copyright can arise only when a work has been fixed or created in some way: for example, a book has been written, a song recorded, or a movie filmed.


----
Many items in a business — such as the company website, advertising materials and more — are probably protected by copyright. Copyright means no one else can copy or substantially reproduce your work without your permission. This right generally lasts during the life of the author plus 50 years after they die.
----


===Copyright does not apply in some circumstances===
There is no copyright in ideas; only the original expression of an idea can be copyrighted.


If you use your artistic work on a useful article, such as a decorative lamp or goblet, by using the article as a model or pattern to make 50 or more decorative lamps or goblets, then copyright protection, with some exceptions, isn’t usually available. You generally have to apply for registration of an industrial design instead.
You can’t claim copyright in a very short combination of words, such as the title of a book or song. This likely doesn’t meet the originality requirement.
===Copyright arises automatically===
Because copyright is automatic, you don’t have to register it. But [http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00003.html registering a copyright] with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (and paying the required fees) can help prove you own the copyright. This can be especially helpful if you have to sue someone for '''infringement''' of your copyright. When you register your copyright, you are the presumed owner of the work and the burden of proof is on the person challenging your copyright to disprove your ownership. If you don’t register your copyright, the burden of proof is on you to prove you own the copyright.
===Protecting trade secrets and confidential business information===
The law recognizes that businesses want to protect their '''trade secrets''' and confidential business information. This could include special recipes, training manuals, methods of doing business and inventions that aren’t patented — all of which the business might want to keep secret from competitors and the public.
You don’t register this type of information. The law on trade secrets hinges on whether you have taken steps to keep the information secret. Having employees, customers or business partners sign a '''confidentiality''' or '''non-disclosure agreement''' is the most common way to show you are taking steps to protect secret and confidential information. As well, if someone breaks the agreement, you can sue them.
One risk with a trade secret is that once it is no longer secret, it can be lost. Without a contractual obligation, nothing can prevent someone else from independently creating or reverse engineering the subject matter of your trade secret.
==Who can help==
The '''Canadian Intellectual Property Office''' (CIPO) is the federal government agency responsible for administering intellectual property in Canada.
:Call 1-866-997-1936
:[http://www.ic.gc.ca/ Visit website]
The '''Intellectual Property Institute of Canada''' (IPIC) is the professional association of patent agents, trademark agents, and lawyers practising intellectual property law.
:Call 1-613-234-0516
:[https://www.ipic.ca/ Visit website]
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Latest revision as of 22:07, 28 August 2020

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Ling Wong, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP in July 2018.

Inventors, designers, writers, other creative people, and entrepreneurs naturally want to protect the things they create. The laws involved in protecting ideas, inventions and designs are called intellectual property laws.

What you should know

The meaning of "intellectual property"

Intellectual property is property in ideas, inventions and designs — intangible things that people create.

A patent protects new, useful and ingenious inventions.

An industrial design registration provides protection for the original visual features of a product.

A trademark is a combination of letters, words, sounds or designs that distinguishes one business’ goods or services from those of others.

Copyright provides protection for literary, artistic, dramatic and musical creations.

A non-disclosure agreement protects trade secrets and confidential business information.

A federal government agency administers intellectual property

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is the federal government agency responsible for administering intellectual property in Canada. This office is where you file an application to protect intellectual property. They can be contacted online or by toll-free phone at 1-866-997-1936.

Patents

A patent protects inventions

A patent is an agreement between an inventor and the federal government. The government gives the inventor the right to prevent others from making, selling or using their invention in Canada (and possibly elsewhere) for the life of the patent. In return, the inventor shares the technological information behind their invention, so others can benefit from and build on this knowledge when the patent expires.

A company, let’s call it National Mousetrap Corporation, that has developed a new and better mousetrap can apply for a patent to protect it.

A patent can be a valuable business asset. It gives the patent owner the competitive advantage of a limited monopoly. A patent owner can license the patent to others or sell it.

A patent lasts for up to 20 years from the time the patent application is first submitted.

How to get a patent

You can apply for a patent by filing a patent application with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). You have to pay the required fees. Your application must describe your invention in full and show you would put it into practice. The invention must meet patentability requirements, meaning that it is new and useful, and has inventive ingenuity.

The Patent Office will not review your application unless you ask them to. Within five years of filing the patent application, you must formally ask the CIPO to consider (or examine) your application. You must pay the examination fee.

About 18 months after you’ve paid this fee, a government patent examiner familiar with the subject matter will examine your application and decide if it meets the requirements for a patent. If the examiner has any objections to the application, they will issue an examiner’s report explaining why they are rejecting it. The applicant (or a patent agent they hire) must then respond within a certain time with arguments or amendments (or both) to support their application. The process can take one to four or more years before a patent is granted.

Tip

Most applicants hire a registered patent agent or patent lawyer to help them with the application process. A list of registered patent agents is available from the CIPO and from the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC).

Time limits for submitting a patent application

If you’re concerned about a competitor being on the same track, you should submit your patent application as soon as possible. In all countries, including Canada, the person who applies first gets the patent over another person who applies later, claiming the same invention. This is normally true even if the second person can prove they developed the invention before the first person did.

Also, in Canada and the US, any public disclosure, use or sale of your invention starts a one-year clock running. After that one year, if you have not filed a patent application, you cannot get a valid patent for your invention. Many countries don’t allow this one-year grace period — they don’t allow any public disclosure before a patent application can be validly filed. You could lose your right to obtain a patent internationally if you rely on the one-year grace period in Canada. So it’s important to keep your invention secret and file a patent application (or assess your other options) before you publicly disclose your invention.

Industrial designs

An industrial design registration protects unique visual design

Returning to the mousetrap example, imagine the company has designed its mousetrap so it has an attractive shape or design that appeals to consumers. But the company is worried that a competitor might soon copy the look and visual design of the mousetrap. To protect the design, the company can apply for an industrial design registration from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

An industrial design registration protects the original visual features of a product. (This differs from a patent, which generally protects how an invention works.) Examples of industrial design that people might seek to protect include the shape of a table, the pattern of a fabric, the visual design of a computer keyboard, or the decoration on the handle of a spoon.

How to apply for an industrial design registration

You can apply for an industrial design registration from the CIPO. You have to pay the required fees. You must apply within one year after the design, or an article showing the design, has first been publicly used, displayed or sold.

Many countries outside of Canada and the US require you to submit your application for registration before there is any public disclosure of your design, the same as with patents.

Registration protects an industrial design for 10 years, but a maintenance fee must be paid after five years.

Trademarks

Trademark registration protects words and logos

Suppose the National Mousetrap Corporation, in addition to designing a unique mousetrap, has also developed a catchy name to brand the product. Or it might have developed a distinctive logo to use on the boxes the mousetraps are sold in and in magazine ads for its mousetraps. To prevent competitors from using the same brand name or logo, it can apply for trademark registration. (Copyright protection for the logo may also be available, discussed later.)

A trademark is a combination of letters, words, sounds or designs that distinguishes one business’ goods or services from those of others in the minds of consumers. The words “Under Armour” on athletic clothing, the red “K” on a box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, and the alligator on Lacoste t-shirts, are familiar trademarks.

How to protect a trademark

You can apply to register a trademark with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. You must pay the required fee. You may file a trademark application based on use (if you have already started using the trademark in your business) or based on proposed use (you intend to use the trademark soon, but you haven’t yet started using it).

Your application is reviewed by a trademark examiner who decides if the application meets the requirements for registration (they consider, for example, whether it is confusing with any prior registrations or applications). If the application is approved, the trademark is published (to give others a chance to oppose the application). If no one opposes it, your trademark will be registered.

Although trademark applications are not as tricky and complex as patent applications, it’s still helpful to hire a trademark agent to handle the process. The Trademarks Office at the CIPO keeps a list of trademark agents. So does the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC).

You don’t have to register a trademark, but there are advantages to doing so

You don’t have to register a trademark to use it. But there are advantages to registering. Registration gives you the exclusive right to use your trademark (with the types of goods or services the trademark is registered for) throughout Canada for 15 years. It also gives you the right to stop others from using a mark that is confusingly like yours.

On the other hand, an unregistered trademark can be protected only where you can prove the trademark is known and has an established reputation.

Copyright

Copyright protects literary, artistic, dramatic and musical creations

Suppose the National Mousetrap Corporation, having developed its unique mousetrap, is ready to launch an advertising campaign. Its advertising department creates a brilliant script for a TV commercial. The law of copyright protects the ownership of the script.

In Canada, the law automatically gives the author, artist or creator of original works like poems, books, plays, musical scores, computer programs, and paintings ownership rights or “copyright” in that creation. Copyright can arise only when a work has been fixed or created in some way: for example, a book has been written, a song recorded, or a movie filmed.

Many items in a business — such as the company website, advertising materials and more — are probably protected by copyright. Copyright means no one else can copy or substantially reproduce your work without your permission. This right generally lasts during the life of the author plus 50 years after they die.

Copyright does not apply in some circumstances

There is no copyright in ideas; only the original expression of an idea can be copyrighted.

If you use your artistic work on a useful article, such as a decorative lamp or goblet, by using the article as a model or pattern to make 50 or more decorative lamps or goblets, then copyright protection, with some exceptions, isn’t usually available. You generally have to apply for registration of an industrial design instead.

You can’t claim copyright in a very short combination of words, such as the title of a book or song. This likely doesn’t meet the originality requirement.

Copyright arises automatically

Because copyright is automatic, you don’t have to register it. But registering a copyright with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (and paying the required fees) can help prove you own the copyright. This can be especially helpful if you have to sue someone for infringement of your copyright. When you register your copyright, you are the presumed owner of the work and the burden of proof is on the person challenging your copyright to disprove your ownership. If you don’t register your copyright, the burden of proof is on you to prove you own the copyright.

Protecting trade secrets and confidential business information

The law recognizes that businesses want to protect their trade secrets and confidential business information. This could include special recipes, training manuals, methods of doing business and inventions that aren’t patented — all of which the business might want to keep secret from competitors and the public.

You don’t register this type of information. The law on trade secrets hinges on whether you have taken steps to keep the information secret. Having employees, customers or business partners sign a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement is the most common way to show you are taking steps to protect secret and confidential information. As well, if someone breaks the agreement, you can sue them.

One risk with a trade secret is that once it is no longer secret, it can be lost. Without a contractual obligation, nothing can prevent someone else from independently creating or reverse engineering the subject matter of your trade secret.

Who can help

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is the federal government agency responsible for administering intellectual property in Canada.

Call 1-866-997-1936
Visit website

The Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) is the professional association of patent agents, trademark agents, and lawyers practising intellectual property law.

Call 1-613-234-0516
Visit website


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