Summary

April 12, 2019
Photograph of a sunset over the trains in a trainyard.

Patentees May Bring Motion to Stay Proceedings Before the Commissioner to the FC

2019 FC 142 - FC confirms it may stay proceedings before federal board or commissions if elements of strict test are met.
April 10, 2019

Trademark Expungement: Insufficient Evidence of Use and Lack of Dominant Feature

2018 FC 1261 - Trademarks expunged for lack of evidence establishing use, and for using deviants without the dominant features of the trademark design.
April 9, 2019

FCA Confirms Test To Admit New Evidence on Appeal From TMOB

2019 FCA 63 - FCA confirms long standing test for admission of new evidence in judicial review of TMOB decision.
April 4, 2019
White and blue pharmaceutical pills scattered on a surface

Actions Under Old PM(NOC) Regime Not Automatically Applicable to the New

2018 FC 1078 - Canada's Federal Court confirms that jurisprudence under previous PM(NOC) regime is not automatically applicable to the new.
March 21, 2019
Wax seal on an envelope that reads "Top Secret"

Counsel and Expert’s Eyes Only Orders Granted in Unusual Circumstances

2018 FCA 192 – FCA confirms CEEO Orders may be granted in unusual circumstances.
January 10, 2019

CAFC Reviews the Effect of the Removal of a Priority Claim in Patent Application Forming Part of a Chain

Fed. Cir. 2017-1962 – CAFC confirms that removing priority claim in a patent application part of a chain of applications will impact the later filed applications.
December 18, 2018

FCA Reviews Doctrines of Claim Construction and Sufficient Disclosure

2018 FCA 172 – FCA affirms FC’s analysis on sufficient disclosure but quashes claim construction analysis.
December 11, 2018

CAFC Confirms That Surnames May Be Registered as Trademarks If They Acquired Distinctiveness

Fed. Cir. 2017-1468 – The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit confirms that surname may be registered as trademark as it acquired distinctiveness.
December 6, 2018

FC Upholds Registrar’s Decision Refusing Confusing Trademark Registration

2018 FC 951 – The FC reiterates that trademarks will not be registered if they are likely to confuse consumers.
December 4, 2018

The ONSC Dismisses Apotex’s Attempt to Revive the Promise Doctrine Under the Guise of Fraud

2018 ONSC 5199 – ONSC rejects Apotex’s attempt to recast Promise Doctrine under s. 53 fraud allegations.
November 27, 2018

Trademark Variants Must Retain Distinctive Features to Show Use of the Registered Mark

2018 FC 941 – The FC confirms that trademark variants must retain distinctive features to demonstrate “use” of the registered Mark.
November 23, 2018

PAB Rejects Application: Ambiguous and Indefinite Claims are Unpatentable

PAB 1453 – The Patent Appeal Board found that Canadian Patent Application No. 2,612,950 for a “system and method for generating real-time indicators in a trading list or portfolio” was obvious, the claims did not define statutory subject matter and were indefinite.
November 13, 2018

Federal Court Confirms That Use of a Trademark Variant May Demonstrate Use of a Trademark

2018 FC 855 – Federal Court confirms licensee’s use of trademark variant constituted use of registered trademark.
November 7, 2018

US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Confirms Test for Obviousness

Fed. Cir. 2017-1977 – The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit confirms the legal standard for obviousness in patent law.
October 11, 2018

What Pharma Patentees Need to Know About Canada’s CSP Regime

Canada’s Certificate of Supplementary Protection Regime – an overview a year into its introduction
October 3, 2018

Federal Court Clarifies its Position on Protective Orders

2018 FC 956 – Federal Court confirms legal test applicable for protective orders, overturns Prothonotary's Order.
September 26, 2018

Federal Court Dismisses Motion for Early Dismissal of Action Brought Under the New PM(NOC) Regulations

2018 FC 694 – Federal Court confirms that motion for early dismissal will only be granted in the clearest of cases.
September 20, 2018

Defence of Prior Disclosure Needs Material Facts

2018 FC 689 – Federal Court confirms that material facts must be pleaded in order to succeed with defence of prior disclosure.
September 18, 2018

Brick-and-Mortar Hotel Not Necessary to Establish Use of Trademark in Association With “Hotel Services” in Canada

2018 FC 895 – Federal Court confirms that the term “services” must be interpreted liberally; confirms that brick and mortar hotel not needed in Canada to establish use of trademark.
September 18, 2018

The Scope of the Term “Services” in Association with a Trademark Revisited by the Federal Court

2018 FC 778 – Canada’s Federal Court confirms that foreign corporations do not need to have a brick-and-mortar store in Canada to establish use of their mark in association with services.