On July 7th, 2020, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (“CIPO”) announced a pilot project allowing applicants who qualify as “small entities” (e.g. universities, or businesses employing 50 or fewer employees) to expedite the examination of their patent applications for COVID-19-related inventions. Details of the program can be found on the CIPO website here. The program is limited, however, to only fifty (50) patent applications.
As businesses work to address the COVID-19 pandemic, this pilot project is designed to help smaller sized entities get products to market as soon as possible. To request accelerated examination under the program, applicants must include a statement that the technology is medical and related to COVID-19 and that an approval for its use has been obtained from or has been submitted to Health Canada. Applicants must also have requested examination and paid the applicable Canadian government fee for requesting examination. Finally, the application must be open to public inspection or the applicant must have submitted a request for early publication. There is no additional fees to use this process.
For further information on whether you qualify and how to take advantage of this program or any other program at CIPO, please reach out to one of the patent professionals at Fasken.
Fasken’s IP group continues to take steps to ensure continuity of our services to our clients during the pandemic. As CIPO’s online solutions are available 24/7 and from anywhere, we are available to continue to assist our clients during this period. Please don’t hesitate to reach out, should you need assistance with your intellectual property.
Learn more about our patent practice.
Mark D. Penner’s practice focuses on all aspects of the acquisition, protection, enforcement and strategic use of a wide range of intellectual property assets in Canada and around the world.