CIPO Becomes PCT Search and Examination Authority

As of July 26, 2004, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has become the competent International Search Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examination Authority (IPEA) for international patent applications filed by Canadian applicants under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Applications filed before July 26 will still be searched and examined by the European Patent Office. The upcoming change was noted in an earlier issue of E-TIPSâ„¢, Vol 2, No 4, July 31, 2003 (see "Fees and Administrative Changes at CIPO"). For applicants, there will be no significant change in procedures, but examination and search fees will now be payable in Canadian dollars, instead of in euros or deutschmarks. CIPO is one of only 11 member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization to hold the special ISA / IPEA status, approved by the PCT Union in 2002. Canada has been intensively training existing and new staff to handle the increased workload. Applicants are hopeful that the investment in new staff and workflow initiatives will result in more efficient prosecution for all Canadian patent applications. For CIPO news releases and background information on the change, visit: http://strategis.gc.ca/sc_mrksv/cipo/patents/notice_jul26_04-e.html; or http://strategis.gc.ca/sc_mrksv/cipo/new/news_20040726-e.html. For more information on CIPO business plans and performance objectives, see CIPO's recently-released 2002-2003 Annual Report: http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_mrksv/cipo/corp/ar02-03-e.pdf. Summary by: Jennifer Jannuska