CIPO's Plans & Priorities

IPIC — Annual General Meeting
St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick
September 29, 2006

Presentation Overview

• Update on Key Initiatives
• Looking to the Future
• Patent Branch
• Trade-Marks Branch
• Copyright and Industrial Design Branch
• CIPO's Five-Year Strategic Plan

Update on Key Initiatives

• Legislative and Regulatory Initiatives
• Service Improvements
• Outreach
• International Engagement

Legislative and Regulatory Initiatives

• IP Regulatory amendments
• Small entities
• Other regulatory changes
• A project to preserve IP rights (including service interruptions)

Service Improvements

Quality — an overarching theme for our journey to service improvements

Quality: Communications, Accessibility, Turn around times

Outreach: promoting an IP culture

• Expanding CIPO's regional presence
• Proactive engagement of universities
• IPIC / CIPO joint initiative: Bank of Speakers
• Measuring progress and impact

CIPO's International Initiatives to date

• Evolving context
• Multilateral cooperation
• Bilateral cooperation
• Other fora
• What's next

Looking to the Future

Plans & Priorities

• Patent Branch
• Trade-marks Branch
• Copyright and Industrial Designs Branch

Patent Branch

Recruitment of patent examiners will continue, resulting in TAT improvements & increase of level of services

As one of the offices granted ISA/IPEA status, we will continue to work concertedly within the MIA to achieve harmonization among International Authorities

C-29: the 12-month window of opportunity for patent holders and applicants to review the fees paid will be coming soon to an end.

We are now implementing a quality policy and framework to guide service improvements

You have our commitment to continue working with you. It is a shared responsibility and collaboration with IPIC on key activities: training, quality, JLC/relationship, practice review, etc.

Trade-marks

We're going to continue the dialogue with you on how best to modify Canada's trade-marks system to adhere to the Madrid Protocol and Singapore Trademark Law Treaty.

We're going to transform our processes and automate (TMB & TMOB) within Trade-marks to achieve a paperless environment, and ensure steady turnaround times. This is the very foundation of our continuous quality approach.

We will continue working with you on ongoing training of examiners, and maintain communications via our Trade-marks Practice Committee (TPC) meetings.

Copyright & Industrial Design Branch

In Industrial Design, we are implementing a multi-year plan to reduce TAT and inventory levels.

In Copyright, we will continue to meet our TAT of 7 days from filing to first action (or even improve it by encouraging you to e-file)

Our data will be more readily and completely accessible to you by undertaking automated systems projects like the ID online database to be launched later this year

We are implementing a quality approach for the Branch, including training, better work tools, quality assurance, etc. resulting in improved quality of service for you in Industrial Design, Copyright and ICT

We will continue to work in partnership with you via the PCID on office practice review, regulatory amendments, the review of the Canadian Classification Standard, etc.

CIPO's 5 Year Strategic Plan

Some 5 years ago we developed a strategic plan which focused on improving operations, strengthening our financial situation and hiring examiners to improve our services.

To a large extent we achieved the objectives we laid out at that time

Its now time to update our strategic plan and set our vision and strategic objectives for the next 5 years.

We are just now initiating this exercise and we will be consulting you in the near future.

Conclusion

• Moving forward with current projects
• Increasing our efforts to foster and advance an IP culture in Canada by:
• Focusing on clients' needs
• Creating partnerships
• Enhancing our presence: SMEs, Education Sector, Bank of Speakers
• Looking ahead with our product lines activities
• Engaging IPIC as CIPO prepares for its new strategic plan