IP monitor - Hurry up and slow down: Delay in Canadian trademark law catching up with the World

On October 16, 2015, Ms. Johanne Bélisle, Commissioner of Patents, Registrar of Trademarks and Chief Executive Officer at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), gave a keynote address at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Intellectual Property Institute (IPIC) in which she provided an update on the expected date for the implementation in Canada of the Nice, Madrid and Singapore international trademark treaties, which are set to significantly overhaul and modernize the existing trademark legislative landscape.

As per her declaration, the Nice Classification is still intended to be included in Canadian law shortly during the Fall of 2015, while the Singapore Treaty and Madrid Protocol are now set to be implemented in early 2018 (as compared to initial estimates of late 2015/early 2016), thus pushing back the estimated date of entry into force of the amendments to the Trademarks Act.