Patentable Subject Matter

Assessing whether subject-matter is statutory requires a determination as to
whether: the invention (1) falls within the statutory definition of “invention”
provided by the Patent Act;  (2) is not within a class of subject-matter that is
specifically excluded by the Patent Act; and (3) is not otherwise excluded by
operation of judicial interpretation of the Patent Act.

July 11, 2013

PAB Applies Amazon, Finds a Tax Calculation System to Be Patentable Subject Matter

Re. Patent Application No. 2306540, CD 1334 This patent application concerned the tracking of required payments or refunds of value added taxes for mailpieces. The Final […]
June 17, 2013

US Supreme Court Holds Isolated Naturally-Occurring DNA Segments Are Products of Nature and Not Patent Eligible

Association for Molecular Pathology v Myriad Genetics Inc, US SC No 12–398 (2013) - The US Supreme Court must determined that a naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated, but cDNA is patent eligible because it is not naturally occurring.
June 13, 2013

CIPO Reiterates Problem-Solution Approach in New Examination Practice Respecting Medical Uses

Effective June 10, 2013  PN2013-04 This Practice Notice builds upon the guidance in section 17.02.03 (Medical and surgical methods) of MOPOP and in PN 2013-02 (Examination […]
May 29, 2013

New Zealand Moves to Exclude Software “as such” from Patentable Subject Matter

Link to the proposed amendments to the Patents Bill.   Rather than excluding a computer program from being a patentable invention, the amendments clarify that a computer program […]
April 19, 2013

Parliamentary Report Covers Key IP Issues, But Stumbles on Patentable Subject Matter, Omits Key Recommendation on Updating CIPO’s Systems

Parliament’s Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology has tabled a report titled “Intellectual Property Regime in Canada”. The Committee was chaired by David Sweet, M.P., […]
April 19, 2013

Summary of CIPO’s Post-Amazon Examination Practice on Computer-Implemented Inventions

Examination Practice Respecting Computer-Implemented Inventions – PN 2013-03 These guidelines build upon the guidance in Chapter 16 (Computer-Implemented Inventions) of the MOPOP and in PN 2013-02 […]
April 19, 2013

CIPO’s Emphasis on the Problem-Solution Approach to Claim Construction Questionable in Canadian Jurisprudence

Examination Practice Respecting Purposive Construction – PN2013-02 Free World Trust and Whirlpool continue to guide the courts, with the benefit of expert testimony and cross-examination, to […]
March 28, 2013

PAB Applies Amazon.com, Finds Method for Updating Navigation Systems Installed in Vehicles Is Patentable Subject Matter

CD 1332, Re. Patent Application No. 2,195,252 entitled "System and Method for Distributing Information for Storage Media" This decision deals with a review by the Commissioner […]