PCK-Reporter

May 18, 2023
Photograph of Canadian flag waving between skyscrapers in the business district of Toronto

Patent Agents and Trademark Agents: A Profession in Crisis

After a recent announcement, the profession is caught between the College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada.
May 16, 2023
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ChatGPT: A Limited Tool for Patent Agents, Not a Solution for IP Strategy

ChatGPT can provide some very useful efficiencies for patent agents. Here are six ways Andrew Currier has integrated ChatGPT into his patent practice.
May 11, 2023
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Federal Circuit Re-Opens Challenge to the Fintiv Rule

Since 2020, the USPTO has been denying requests for post-grant validity challenges based on the controversial Fintiv rule.
May 2, 2023
Photograph of clothespins hanging upside down on a clothesline, the clothespins resemble the letter "A".

The Federal Circuit Interprets the Meaning of “A” in Patent Claims

Fed. Cir. No. 2021-2320, 2021-2376: Typically patent drafters omit phrases like “at least one” from patent claims to improve readability, but a recent court decision may reverse the trend.
March 22, 2023
Photograph of two inventors wearing lab coats in a scientific laboratory. The nearest inventor is looking into a microscope. There are beakers on the counter beside her.

Federal Court Allows Addition of Third Inventor to Two Patents

2023 FC 115: The Court found that the omission of the third inventor was a result of inadvertence, rather than delay, and allowed the correction.
February 9, 2023
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FCA Upholds Refusal to Grant “procat” Trademark

2023 FCA 4: The prefix "pro" did little to make Puma's "procat" mark distinctive over Caterpillar's CAT & Triangle Design.
February 3, 2023
Photograph of a person standing in a sunlit meadow and holding a globe under their arm.

Can the Patent System Help Safeguard Canadian Military Innovations?

Most major countries in the world, including the USA and China, require innovators to secure a “foreign filing license” before they can seek patent protection in a foreign country. Canada has no such regime, but perhaps it's time.
January 20, 2023
Photograph of assorted blister packs containing pharmaceuticals in pill form.

Past Conduct Deemed Relevant to Infringement in ANDA Proceedings

CAFC No. 22-1595: In this precedential decision on induced infringement, the Federal Circuit clarified that “past conduct is relevant to what will happen in the future”.
January 5, 2023
In a hospital room, a woman in a white lab looks at a computer monitor.

USPTO to Launch Cancer Moonshot Expedited Examination Pilot Program

Starting on February 1st, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will offer accelerated examination for patent applications aimed at preventing cancer and cancer mortality.
December 22, 2022
circuit board

Federal Circuit Applies Collateral Estoppel in IPR Proceedings

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit found that dependent claims invalidated by collateral estoppel also invalidated the parental independent claim.
November 29, 2022
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Canada’s Highest Court Upholds $644M Award for Patent Infringement

2022 SCC 43: The Supreme Court of Canada handed down a decision that awards Dow Chemical $644 million—the largest monetary offering in a Canadian patent lawsuit.
October 25, 2022
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Christian Varin Sentenced to 5 Years for Defrauding Canadian Inventors

2022 QCCQ 6675: Operating as "Fédération des Inventors du Québec", Varin offered to protect inventions but never filed a single patent application at CIPO.
September 30, 2022
A photograph of a female engineer peering through the wires of a computer.

Can AI Be an Inventor? We’re Asking the Wrong Question

If we reframe the question of “Should AI be named an inventor?” in the context of incentivizing innovation, we get a much more elegant question.
August 18, 2022
A thermometer is shown on a pile of pharmaceutical pills.

Selection Patent for Apixaban Upheld by Federal Court of Appeal

2022 FCA 142: The Court also commented on the relevant date for determining if an invention has been sufficiently described in the patent application.
June 30, 2022
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Inventor Fails to Extract a Win on Appeal Against Oil Producer MEG

2022 FCA 118: The appeal court saw no reason to interfere with a trial court decision that favoured MEG Energy in its ongoing patent dispute with inventor Jason Swist.
June 20, 2022
Photograph of three baseballs on the grass, representing three strikes.

Three Strikes: Federal Court Rejects CIPO’s Approach to Software Patent Eligibility

2022 FC 923: For the third time since 2011, CIPO’s approach to software patent eligibility has been struck down by the Federal Court.
June 6, 2022
Photograph of a chimpanzee that appears to be thinking

Can AI Be an Inventor? Let’s Ask the Chimpanzees

If an AI produces an invention which satisfies the requirements of patentability, who is the inventor—the creator of the AI or the AI itself?
May 30, 2022
Photograph of a seedling plant sprouting in the soil.

Federal Court of Canada Squashes Contempt of Court Claim

In 2021, the Federal Court found GreenBlue infringed Deeproot's patents and granted an injunction. In 2022, the court was unconvinced that GreenBlue violated the injunction.
May 12, 2022
Engineer at an oil refinery inspects centrifuge equipment.

Federal Circuit Narrows Application of the Experimental Use Exception

Under the “on-sale bar”, privately offering to sell an invention before filing a patent application can void the patent rights in all but a few permissible scenarios.
April 28, 2022
Headshot of CEO, Andrew T. Currier

Andrew Currier Elected to CPATA Board — Andrew Currier Est Élu au Conseil du CABAMC

Thank you for your participation in the recent election for CPATA. // Je vous remercie de votre participation à la récente élection du CABAMC.