Canadian Names and Trade-Marks: Corel

Although Ottawa, the nation's capital, is usually thought of first and foremost in its role as the nation's capital city, it also had a life as the birthplace of much of Canada's high-tech sector. From the mid 1980s, many large technology companies including Newbridge Networks and Nortel Networks had facilities in Ottawa. Central to Ottawa’s tech industry has been Corel, founded by Michael Cowpland in 1985, initially as a research laboratory - Corel is an abbreviation of Cowpland Research Laboratory. In 1989, Corel introduced CorelDRAW, the first graphics software for Windows. Due to the popularity of the program, Corel became one of the largest software companies in Canada in the 1990s. It was in this period that CorelDRAW gained its iconic balloon logo, which was inspired by Canadian hot-air balloon pilot John Davidson’s first vividly coloured-balloon used to market the software. With its success, the company also made its mark in the city of its headquarters. In particular, in 1996, the Corel Centre became the home of the Ottawa Senators. As well, Corel’s gold-coloured office buildings can still be seen today along Highway 417 when one drives from the west into downtown Ottawa. Corel has acquired or developed additional software lines such as PaintShop Pro, VideoStudio and WinZip, which focus on individual consumers. This is in contrast to other software makers with similar programs such as Adobe Systems, which are primarily directed to professional or enterprise users. Vector Capital, based in San Francisco, purchased Corel in 2010. Summary by: Cheryl Cheung