Patents

Case summaries and articles about  patents.

November 20, 2018

USMCA, the new NAFTA: what changes we can expect in Canadian IP Law

USMCA – On September 31, 2018, Canada reached a new agreement with the USA and Mexico – here is an overview.
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.
November 2, 2018

Bill C-86 and Its Impact on Trademark and Patent Prosecution

Bill C-86 – The omnibus bill creates ambiguity in authorized representation before the Patent Office and the Office of the Registrar of Trade-marks.
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 13, 2018

Canada’s Federal Court Orders Variation of the Records of the Patent Office to Rectify Mistake in Application

2018 FC 311 – Pursuant to section 52 of the Patent Act, the FC ordered the variation of the Patent Office Records in relation to Canadian Patent Nos. 2,614,533 and 2,919,266 to rectify a mistake in the name of the legal owner of the patents.
August 28, 2018

Law Firm Removed on Patent Infringement Action Due to Conflict of Interest

2017 FC 874 - Aitken Klee disqualified from representing Betser-Zelevitch because one of its partners had acted for Nexen in the same action, while at another law firm.
August 14, 2018
Canadian Patent Law Textbook by Perry and Currier. Third Edition

Canadian Patent Law, 3rd Edition Book Launch

PCK IP is pleased to announce the launch of Canadian Patent Law, 3rd Edition.
July 24, 2018

FCA Affirms Patent Application is “Dead” Following Failure to Respond to Requisition

2018 FCA 36 - The Federal Court of Appeal upheld the Federal Court decision dismissing the application from the Governors of the University of Alberta and Alberta Health Services for judicial review of the Commissioner’s decisions refusing reinstatement of a patent application.
July 10, 2018

Federal Court of Appeal Provides Further Guidance on Obviousness

2017 FCA 225 - Federal Court of Appeal upheld the trial level decision invalidating Ciba's Canadian patent for obviousness, and elaborated on the obviousness inquiry, endorsing an approach that focuses on construing the claims rather than identifying the inventive concept.
June 27, 2018
accounting

Defendants Are Not Entitled to Elect Accounting of Profits

2018 FCA 32 - The FCA dismissed Apotex’s appeal challenging the remedial decision, regarding Bayer's Canadian Patent No. 2,382,426, holding that subsection 57(1) of the Patent Act did not grant a defendant in a patent infringement suit the right to choose an accounting of profits over damages to be paid to the patentee.
June 7, 2018

IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2018

IAM Patent 1000 recognizes the sharp, streamlined support Perry + Currier Inc. provides, along with its other achievements and advancements.
May 24, 2018

Federal Court Rejects PMPRB’s Approach to “Invention Pertains to Medicine” Analysis

2017 FC 1023 - The FC quashed a decision of the PMPRB, reasoning that the PMPRB failed to apply the correct test: reviewing the patent as a whole and determining what the invention was.
May 8, 2018

ONSC Educates an Inventor on the Difference Between Obtaining a Patent and Maintaining a Trade Secret

2017 ONSC 7276 - The ONSC found that Rowland's statement of claim did not disclose a reasonable cause of action with regard to the allegation that his "trade secret" was stolen.
April 3, 2018

Non-Infringing Alternative Defence Denied in Omeprazole Infringement Profit Case

2017 FC 726 - The FC held that Apotex did not satisfy the factual burden required to establish a hypothetically viable non-infringing substitute during the period of infringement, which could reduce the infringement profits owed to AstraZeneca.
January 16, 2018

Federal Court Rejects Apotex’s Judicial Review Application for Apo-Omeprazole Magnesium Tablets

2017 FC 857 - The Federal Court upheld the Minister of Health’s decision to cancel reconsideration for Apo-Omeprazole Magnesium Tablets manufactured by Apotex Inc. This is yet another failed attempt by Apotex to obtain approval for the magnesium tablet form of its anti-ulcer drug.
January 9, 2018
subject matter

Call Processing System Patent Rejected for Lack of Statutory Subject Matter and Obviousness

PAB 1420 - Canadian Patent Application No. 2,529,210 filed by Assurant Inc. for a system that routes customer calls based on a sales agent’s past performance was rejected by the Patent Appeal Board, at least for the reasons of non-statutory subject matter and obviousness.
January 2, 2018

Federal Court of Appeal Confirms Issued Patents cannot be Invalidated by Underpayment of an Administrative Fee

2017 FCA 201 - The FCA upheld the FC’s ruling against Apotex, that Pfizer's failure to pay the proper final fee for the issuance of a Canadian patent will not invalidate the patent.