Canadian Intellectual Property’s Notice on Biological Sequence Listings

On September 22, 2015, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) published an updated notice on biological sequence listings. The update states that for new applications entering the national phase in Canada, CIPO will automatically obtain biological sequence listings from the description submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) during the international phase of the application.

Applicants may still file a sequence listing at Canadian filing.  In this case, CIPO will check the WIPO submitted sequence for defects. If no defects are found, the WIPO submitted sequence will be used for examination. If defects are found in the WIPO submitted sequence, the submitted duplicate will be assessed for errors. If there are no errors in the submitted duplicate, it will be used for examination purposes. In case of defects, the applicant will receive a requisition from CIPO.  Sequence listings may still be changed by voluntary amendment, either at filing or after.

Summary By: Meenakshi Lakhanpal