Canada: Patent

Canadian patent law contains distinct procedural and substantive requirements that can significantly affect claim scope, prosecution costs, patent term, and enforceability for foreign companies. Understanding these differences—from software patentability standards to patent term adjustment opportunities—is essential for developing an effective North American IP strategy that maximizes protection while controlling costs.

The Federal Courts of Canada operate under statutory jurisdiction rather than inherent authority, creating distinct boundaries for their legal powers. This article examines how these jurisdictional limits apply across three critical areas: intellectual property disputes, competition law enforcement, and tax matters. Understanding these boundaries is essential for determining whether cases belong in Federal Court or provincial superior courts.

Le 21 septembre 2026 a marqué le neuvième anniversaire des modifications importantes apportées au Règlement sur les médicaments brevetés (avis de conformité). Cet article examine les tendances des litiges pharmaceutiques au Canada, notamment le nombre record de faibles procédures engagées et l'absence de décisions sur le fond rendues par la Cour fédérale. L'analyse couvre également les actions en cours, les procédures sommaires et les dem

Le Canada a lancé le Programme accéléré des technologies clés (PATC), offrant un examen accéléré des demandes de brevet dans des domaines technologiques stratégiques comme les minéraux critiques. Ce nouveau mécanisme permet aux innovateurs d'obtenir une évaluation plus rapide de la brevetabilité sans frais supplémentaires, avec un premier rapport d'examen attendu dans un délai d'environ sept mois.

Canada's Intellectual Property Office offers four distinct mechanisms to expedite patent examination, each with unique eligibility criteria and procedural requirements. From leveraging foreign examination results through the Patent Prosecution Highway to advancing green technology applications at no extra cost, applicants can strategically accelerate their patent timeline from the typical multi-year process to as little as two months for first office action.

Canada's Intellectual Property Office has introduced a new expedited examination program for patent applications in critical technology areas, including a dedicated stream for innovations related to the processing, extraction, and refining of minerals on Canada's critical minerals list. The program offers accelerated patent examination on a first-come, first-served basis with specific eligibility requirements and annual application limits.

The Supreme Court of Canada has released its highly anticipated decision in Pharmascience Inc. v. Janssen Inc.1, upholding the validity of Janssen’s patent for a long-acting dosing regimen for the treatment...

The Supreme Court of Canada has issued its most significant ruling on medical treatment patents in over fifty years, addressing whether dosing-regimen claims for schizophrenia medication constitute unpatentable methods of medical treatment. The 7-2 decision establishes a new framework for evaluating pharmaceutical patents, focusing on whether implementing the claimed invention requires professional medical skill and judgment. This landmark case provides crucial guidance for life sciences companies seeking p

La Cour suprême du Canada a rendu une décision historique confirmant que les méthodes de traitement médical demeurent non brevetables lorsqu'elles monopolisent la compétence et le jugement professionnels des médecins.