Correspondence Procedures

For the purposes of sections 5 and 54 of the Patent Rules, section 3 of the Trade-marks Regulations (1996), section 2 of the Copyright Regulations, section 3 of the Industrial Design Regulations and section 3 of the Integrated Circuit Topography Regulations, the address of the Patent Office, the Office of the Registrar of Trade-marks, the Copyright Office, the Industrial Design section of the Office of the Commissioner of Patents, and the Office of the Registrar of Topographies (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as "CIPO") is:

Canadian Intellectual Property Office
Place du Portage I
50 Victoria Street, Room C-114
Gatineau QC  K1A 0C9
Tel.: (819) 997-1727

Correspondence delivered to the above address during ordinary business hours will be considered to be received on the date of delivery.

Designated Establishments

For the purposes of subsections 5(4) and 54(3) of the Patent Rules, subsection 3(4) of the Trade-marks Regulations (1996), subsection 2(4) of the Copyright Regulations, subsection 3(4) of the Industrial Design Regulations and paragraph 3(2)(b) of the Integrated Circuit Topography Regulations, the following are the designated establishments or designated offices to which correspondence addressed to the Commissioner of Patents, the Registrar of Trade-marks, the Copyright Office or the Registrar of Topographies may be delivered:

1. Industry Canada
   C.D. Howe Building
   235 Queen Street, Room S-117
   Ottawa ON  K1A 0H5
   Tel.: (613) 954-3584



2. Industry Canada
   5 Place Ville-Marie, Suite 700
   Montreal QC  H3B 2G2
   Tel.: (514) 496-1797
   Toll-free: 1-888-237-3037



3. Industry Canada
   151 Yonge Street, 4th Floor
   Toronto ON  M5C 2W7
   Tel.: (416) 973-5000



4. Industry Canada
   Canada Place
   9700 Jasper Avenue, Suite 725
   Edmonton AB  T5J 4C3
   Tel.: (780) 495-4782
   Toll-free: 1-800-461-2646



5. Industry Canada
   Library Square
   300 West Georgia Street, Suite 2000
   Vancouver BC  V6B 6E1
   Tel.: (604) 666-5000

Correspondence¹ delivered, during ordinary business hours, to one of the designated establishments listed above, will be considered to be received on the date of delivery to that designated establishment, only if it is also a day on which CIPO is open for business. Correspondence delivered to a designated establishment on a day when CIPO is closed for business will be considered to be received on the next day on which CIPO is open for business. If, for example, correspondence intended for the Patent Office is delivered to the designated establishment in Toronto on June 24, it will not be considered to be received on June 24 as this is a day on which CIPO is closed for business.

Registered Mail Service of Canada Post

For the purposes of subsections 5(4) and 54(3) of the Patent Rules, subsection 3(4) of the Trade-marks Regulations (1996), subsection 2(4) of the Copyright Regulations, subsection 3(4) of the Industrial Design Regulations and paragraph 3(2)(b) of the Integrated Circuit Topography Regulations, the Registered Mail Service of Canada Post is a designated establishment or designated office to which correspondence addressed to the Commissioner of Patents, the Registrar of Trade-marks, the Copyright Office or the Registrar of Topographies may be delivered.

Correspondence¹ delivered through the Registered Mail Service of Canada Post will be considered to be received on the date stamped on the envelope by Canada Post, only if it is also a day on which CIPO is open for business. If the date stamp on the Registered Mail is a day when CIPO is closed for business, the Registered Mail will be considered to be received on the next day on which CIPO is open for business.

¹ With the exception of correspondence addressed to the Office of the Registrar of Topographies

Electronic Correspondence

In accordance with section 8.1 of the Patent Act, and for the purposes of subsections 5(6) and 54(5) of the Patent Rules, subsection 3(6) of the Trade-marks Regulations (1996), subsection 2(6) of the Copyright Regulations, subsection 3(6) of the Industrial Design Regulations, and subsection 4(1) of the Integrated Circuit Topography Regulations, correspondence addressed to the Commissioner of Patents, the Registrar of Trade-marks, the Copyright Office or the Registrar of Topographies may be sent by facsimile or on-line via CIPO's Web site only as provided below.

The document presentation requirements set out in sections 69 and 70 of the Patent Rules apply to facsimile correspondence. Subsection 3(9) of the Trade-marks Regulations (1996) specifies certain categories of correspondence to which the provisions of subsection 3(6) do not apply and which thus may not be sent by facsimile or on-line.

Correspondence sent by facsimile or on-line to the Commissioner of Patents, the Registrar of Trade-marks, the Copyright Office or the Registrar of Topographies constitutes the original, therefore a duplicate paper copy should not be forwarded.

Correspondence delivered by electronic means of transmission, including facsimile, will be considered to be received on the day that it is transmitted if delivered before midnight, local time at CIPO on a day when CIPO is open for business. When CIPO is closed for business, correspondence delivered on that day will be considered to be received on the next day on which CIPO is open for business.

(a) Facsimile

Facsimile correspondence addressed to the Commissioner of Patents, the Registrar of Trade-marks, the Copyright Office or the Registrar of Topographies may be sent to the following facsimile numbers:

(819) 953-CIPO (953-2476) or
(819) 953-OPIC (953-6742)

Additionally, for the purposes of opposition proceedings, and sections 44 and 45 of the Trade-marks Act, facsimile correspondence addressed to the Registrar of Trade-marks should be sent to the following number:

(819) 997-5092

Facsimile correspondence which is sent to any facsimile number other than those indicated above, including those of a designated establishment or designated office, will be considered not to have been received.

The electronic transmittal report returned to you following your facsimile transmission will constitute your acknowledgment that the correspondence has in fact been received. Confidentiality of the facsimile transmission process cannot be guaranteed.

When submitting a document by facsimile that also has a fee requirement, notification of the preferred mode of payment to be applied must be prominently displayed on the covering letter to ensure expedient processing. Payment arrangements may be made through CIPO's Finance Branch at the following number: (819) 994-2269.

(b) On-line

Correspondence addressed to the Commissioner of Patents, the Registrar of Trade-marks, the Copyright Office or the Registrar of Topographies may be sent electronically.

Patents

In accordance with section 8.1 of the Patent Act, and for the purpose of subsection 5(6) of the Patent Rules, the following correspondence addressed to the Commissioner of Patents may be sent using the Patents' on-line forms.

Trade-marks

For the purpose of subsection 3(6) of the Trade-marks Regulations (1996), the following correspondence addressed to the Registrar of Trade-marks may be sent using the Trade-marks' on-line forms.

Copyrights

For the purpose of subsection 2(6) of the Copyright Regulations, the following correspondence addressed to the Copyright Office may be sent using the Copyrights' on-line forms.

Industrial Designs

For the purpose of subsection 3(6) of the Industrial Design Regulations, the following correspondence addressed to the Commissioner of Patents may be sent using the Industrial Designs' on-line forms.

Integrated Circuit Topographies

For the purpose of subsection 4(1) of the Integrated Circuit Topography Regulations, the following correspondence addressed to the Registrar of Topographies may be sent using the Integrated Circuit Topographies' on-line forms.

General Information

General information may be obtained by communicating with CIPO's Client Service Centre.