US and International Trademark Applications

On June 19, 2014 Bill C-31 - Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1 (the “Bill”) received Royal Assent and enabled Canada to join the ranks of other first world countries by becoming a party to the Madrid Protocol, Singapore Treaty and Nice Agreement.

While the Bill has been approved, along with the ancillary amendments to the Trademarks Act, the enforcement of same remains subject to the approval of the amended Trademark Regulations and the implementation of administrative changes to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office’s filing system. When the adoption by Canada of the Madrid Protocol becomes effective, Canadian trademark agents will be able to provide their clients with a simple and effective method of protecting their intellectual property internationally by way of filing the trademark application first in Canada and then requesting that the trademark be filed on the basis of an international application with the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Until that time, our intellectual property lawyers, having been granted reciprocal recognition by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, may file applications in the United States for our Canadian clients.

If you are interested in filing a trademark in the United States or internationally, please contact us to learn more about the status of the implementation of the Madrid Protocol and the ways in which we can assist you with protecting your intellectual property beyond Canada.