Our firm stands in support of all Indigenous communities in the wake of the discovery of the remains of 215 children from the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Our thoughts are with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc community, and all communities impacted by the devastation brought upon them by the residential school system.  This is not simply another horrific reminder of a dark Canadian history, of what has occurred in the past.  It is a reminder of the crisis of discrimination and denial that continues today. We are committed to further learning and sharing the truthRead More →

In a decision largely applauded by patent owners and practitioners, the Federal Court of Canada has struck down the approach of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) to patent claim construction in determining whether an element of a patent claim is essential in Yves Choueifaty v Attorney General of Canada, 2020 FC 837 [Choueifaty]. If the term “claim construction” has you scratching your head, you may want to skip to “The Takeaway” section at the end of the article. Background Two decades ago, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) set out the principles of patent claim construction in a pair of decisions: Free World TrustRead More →

CIPO has advised that most deadlines for patents, trademarks and industrial designs falling between March 16 – August 30, 2020 will now be extended to August 31, 2020. This is a follow-up to CIPO’s series of previous announcements, the most recent of which had advised of a final extension of deadlines to August 24, 2020. CIPO has instituted this additional, unexpected extension as a result of an interruption to its online and fax services from August 21-23, 2020. Hicks IP will provide additional updates if the situation changes, and will continue to work toward meeting original deadlines upon timely receipt of instructions. Please contact anyRead More →

CIPO has confirmed that most deadlines for patents, trademarks and industrial designs falling between March 16 – August 23, 2020 will now be extended to August 24, 2020. This is a follow-up to CIPO’s series of previous announcements that deadlines falling between March 16 – August 9, 2020 would be extended to August 10, 2020. CIPO has now indicated that this will be the final such extension of deadlines, and we will provide additional updates if the situation changes. Hicks IP will continue to work toward meeting original deadlines upon timely receipt of instructions. Please contact any of our team members if you have questions.Read More →

CIPO has confirmed that most deadlines for patents, trademarks and industrial designs falling between March 16 – August 9, 2020 will now be extended to August 10, 2020. This is a follow-up to CIPO’s series of previous announcements that deadlines falling between March 16 – July 19, 2020 would be extended to July 20, 2020. There continue to be indications that this may be the last of these extensions, but CIPO is still advising that it is possible that the deadline could be further extended. We understand that CIPO is committed to giving the profession a minimum of two weeks’ notice if the deadline willRead More →

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has announced the implementation of a pilot program to allow accelerated examination of patent applications at no extra charge for inventions related to medical products and processes that support the response to COVID-19. The invention must be subject to a Health Canada approval process. The pilot program is available for small entity applicants, which are universities or businesses employing 50 or fewer employees, and is limited to 50 applications. For more information about the pilot program or other options for accelerated examination of a patent application with CIPO, please contact any of the members of our Patent Practice Group.Read More →

CIPO has confirmed that most deadlines for patents, trademarks and industrial designs falling between March 16 – July 19, 2020 will now be extended to July 20, 2020. This is a follow-up to CIPO’s previous announcements that deadlines falling between March 16 – July 5, 2020 would be extended to July 6, 2020. There are some indications that this may be the last of these extensions, but CIPO is still advising that it is possible that the deadline could be further extended. We will provide additional updates as the situation evolves. Hicks IP will continue to work toward meeting original deadlines upon timely receipt ofRead More →

We are excited to announce that Hicks Intellectual Property has relocated our Canmore office to an office suite in Canmore’s newest commercial and retail hub, The Shops of Canmore. With increased space and a customized floor plan, we are better able to serve our clients’ needs. Following the expansion of our team and our continued dedication to providing world-class intellectual property services, Hicks Intellectual Property outgrew its longstanding Main Street location. The new Shops of Canmore development has easy access to local and regional transportation lines and boasts a diverse collection of businesses. Our new office suite features clean and modern design influences and hasRead More →

CIPO has confirmed that most deadlines for patents, trademarks and industrial designs falling between March 16 – July 5, 2020 will now be extended to July 6, 2020. This is a follow-up to CIPO’s previous announcements that deadlines falling between March 16 – June 14, 2020 would be extended to June 15, 2020. We expect that this deadline could be further extended, and we will provide additional updates as the situation evolves. Hicks IP will continue to work toward meeting original deadlines upon timely receipt of instructions. Please contact any of our team members if you have questions.Read More →

CIPO has confirmed that most deadlines for patents, trademarks and industrial designs falling between March 16 – June 14, 2020 will now be extended to June 15, 2020. This is a follow-up to CIPO’s previous announcements that deadlines falling between March 16 – May 31, 2020 would be extended to June 1, 2020. We expect that this deadline could be further extended, and we will provide additional updates as the situation evolves. Hicks IP will continue to work toward meeting original deadlines upon timely receipt of instructions. Please contact any of our team members if you have questions.Read More →