Canadian IP System
In Canada, you can formally protect the value of your creations through 6 main types of IP rights. The criteria for ownership and protection are different for each type of IP:
- Patents
- Term: Up to 20 years after filing
- Protection: Apply nationally
- Protects against: Use, sale, manufacture
- What is protected: Inventions
- Trademarks
- Term: Renewable 10-year period
- Protection: Reputation or goodwill for a service or product in the geographic area (registration can be sought in Canada)
- Protects against: Use
- What is protected: Identity of your products and services: words, symbols and designs
- Copyrights
- Term: Life plus 50 years
- Protection: Work fixed in a tangible medium of expression (registration can be sought in Canada)
- Protects against: Copying, reproducing
- What is protected: Original literary, artistic, musical and dramatic works, and other subject matters, e.g.sound recordings, performances and communication signals
- Industrial Designs
- Term: Up to 10 years
- Protection: Apply nationally
- Protects against: Rent or importation, sale, manufacture
- What is protected: Visual appearance of a product: ornamentation, shape, pattern, configuration
- Integrated Circuit Topographies
- Term: 10 years
- Protection: Apply nationally
- Protects against: Use, sale, manufacture
- What is protected: Original integrated circuit layout designs
- Plant Breeders
- Term: Up to 25 years for a variety of trees and vines and 20 years for all other varieties of plants
- Protection: Apply nationally
- Protects against: Sale
- What is protected: New varieties of plants and their respective propagating material
