IP Strategy

September 5, 2023
Kristjan Spence, a registered US and Canadian patent agent

Join PCK’s Kris Spence for a Discussion on Patent Strategies in the AI Era

On September 12, 2023, PCK’s Kris Spence will moderate a panel of patent experts to share insights and shed light on IP strategies for AI inventions.
August 17, 2023
Several people's hands shown pointing and gesturing at graphs and business strategy documents.

The Importance of Having an Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy

By integrating intellectual property into their growth strategy, Canadian businesses can position themselves for long-term success.
June 19, 2023
Photograph of an engineer working on a component for a telescope.

Three Factors for Protecting Canadian Innovation

Canadians are recognized as strong innovators and entrepreneurs, and yet we are also seen as laggards when it comes to protecting intellectual property (IP).
May 16, 2023
Wrenches on a gray background. The wrenches are arranged around the periphery of the photo.

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.
October 27, 2021
Aerial view of a skyscraper in downtown Hangzhou, Zhejiang’s largest city.

Audience of Ten Thousand Tunes into Andrew Currier’s IP Lecture

Andrew was invited to speak about Corporate IP Strategy and Practical Business as part of the Zhejiang High-Level IP Training Program.
October 26, 2021
Photo of two women working on tablets in front of a large window.

IP Basics: Patent Budgeting for Early Stage Startups

When budgeting for a patent, all tech startups face this conundrum: “I need investors to pay for a patent, but I need a patent to attract investors.”
July 21, 2021
Photo of a project planning board covered in yellow sticky notes.

A Synergistic Combination: Patents and SR&ED

The trick is to efficiently resource patent and SR&ED initiatives while keeping product development on track. Here are a few tips that can help you do that.
September 3, 2020
Photo of a glass, maple-leaf-shaped bottle containing maple syrup.

Learning From Aunt Jemima: Abandoning Offensive Trademarks in Canada

With problematic brands like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben being dropped, how can brand owners prevent third parties from hijacking the discontinued marks?
April 28, 2020
A laptop showing business statistics and financial forecasts in graph format.

COVID-19: Cost Management Strategies for Patent Applicants

Cost management strategies that won't devalue your patent portfolio. Plus: don't miss the April 29th deadline for the Innovation Assistance Program (IAP)!
October 4, 2019
Stethoscope and a smartphone. Healthcare

Disruptions to the Healthcare Industry: 5 Takeaways From the 2019 Waterloo Innovation Summit

At the 2019 Waterloo Innovation Summit, global thought leaders discussed oncoming disruptions to healthcare and challenges faced by healthtech start-ups.
June 18, 2019

Raptors Win but Trademark still under Claw

The Raptors may have won the NBA championship but they still have a court battle ahead, this time against popular energy drink Monster Energy.
April 2, 2019
Coleen Morrison

Coleen Morrison Recognized by Who’s Who Legal: Trademarks 2019

PCK's Coleen Morrison is recognized by Who's Who Legal.
January 11, 2019

Practical Strategies for Canadian Trademark Applicants from Now until June 17, 2019 when Canada’s new Trademark Law Takes Effect

Strategies for Trademark Applicants from now until the new Trademark Law takes effect in June 2019
February 21, 2017

Ontario Court of Appeal Refers Copyright Infringement Dispute to Trial for Reconsideration of Estoppel Defence

2016 ONCA 217 - The ONCA accepted the motion judge’s interpretation of the licensing agreement at issue, however, it set aside the dismissal of Symcor's defence of estoppel and referred this issue, along with a limitation period defence and assessment of damages, to trial.
February 22, 2016

Intellectual Property Services Buyer’s Guide

There are a lot of IP service providers out there. In this post I attempt to provide some guidelines for helping companies to assess IP counsel and choose the right one.
September 28, 2015

Reputation Management

A well-organized Reputation Management Plan is now a required tool in any corporation’s communication portfolio. Here are a few ideas that should go into your Reputation Management Plan.
September 22, 2015

Crafting a Suitable IP Strategy – Tips from the Pros!

Many startups are basing their business plans and valuations on their innovation; patents and industrial designs can be the most valuable asset of the company. One of the best strategies to secure protection for your innovation involves the filing of a self-written provisional patent application. On October 21, beginning at 5 p.m., PCK will be providing a hands-on session in which founders can learn the basics of patents from Andrew Currier.
April 13, 2015

A Tale of Two Startup Superclusters

Why is it that worldwide rankings of startup hubs group together a handful of population centres in Silicon Valley amounting to almost 7.5 million people, but Waterloo and Toronto, with only 124,600 and 5.8 million people respectively, and with equally as much mixing of talent between them, are always ranked separately and pitted against each other as competitors? Toronto and Waterloo are producing some of the most innovative new companies of the future. Fostering talent in both regions and bringing great ideas and great minds together can only work to our mutual benefit and ability to tackle the world scene. Geography should be no object.
March 6, 2015

Three Simple Steps Towards Building a Patent Strategy

Canadians demonstrate excellence at many things. There are the obvious clichés like maple syrup, hockey, politeness and modesty. However, our excellence at politeness hides some of our other impressive strengths, like innovation and technology. In turn, our modesty seems to keep Canadians from protecting their intellectual property (IP) at rates disproportionate to our OECD counterparts. I have been working in the intellectual property field for nearly twenty years and can share many anecdotes of Canadian companies that are world innovation leaders who, because of that charming modesty, essentially give away their intellectual property.
November 7, 2013

Twitter SEC Filing Reveals Issues Faced by all High-Tech Companies

SEC Filing Background Twitter’s SEC filing for their initial public offering (IPO) were recently released. Within the filing there are several interesting issues related to their […]