Bank of Speakers Purpose If you provide advice to Canadian businesses, innovators or creators, and would like to organize workshops on intellectual property (IP) issues, the Bank of Speakers is the perfect tool for you.

What is the Bank of Speakers?

The Bank of Speakers initiative was launched on April 26, 2004, as part of World Intellectual Property Day. It is a collaborative effort of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, the association of professionals concerned with patents, trade-marks, copyrights and industrial designs.

Both organizations have joined forces to work on cross-marketing endeavours and to deliver educational IP presentations.

More precisely, to whom is this initiative targeted?

This initiative is targeted to public and private sector organizations, including business service centres, professional associations, colleges, universities and libraries, who would like to organize workshops to raise awareness of the importance and strategic value of IP.

What are the topics covered?

To date, the initiative is aimed at raising awareness of IP by introducing basic concepts such as:

• the importance and strategic use of IP;
• an introduction to trade secrets, patents, trade-marks, copyrights and industrial designs;
• useful resources and tips;
• links to IP publications and on-line tools; and
• contact information.

What are the advantages of using the Bank of Speakers?

The Bank of Speakers allows you access to more than 200 IP professionals committed to take a leadership role to emphasize the strategic value and importance of IP, and who are ready to deliver an informative and engaging presentation.

When used strategically, IP assets can increase the competitiveness of a business and can result in many benefits. But, before this can be accomplished, businesses must first acknowledge the value of IP, understand its many forms and interrelations, and see how it applies to their situation.

The Bank of Speakers facilitates the sharing of resources and expertise. As a result, Canadians will benefit from more points of contact to access the information and services they need to protect their inventions and ideas. In an increasingly competitive global economy, it is essential to develop strategies to stand out from the competition.

How can I request a speaker?

If you are planning on organizing an IP awareness session for your staff or clients, please fill in the Request a Speaker form.

For other types of requests, who should I contact?

CIPO's Contact Us section will provide you with the best way to channel other requests.