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CANADIANLAWYERMAG.COM/INHOUSE MARCH 2018
class? You won't be able to change the
renewal term (the shorter term will still
apply to any renewals due after the CIF
date), but you might significantly reduce
renewal fees.
4. Get ready to expand your brands globally
using the Madrid Protocol. You'll need a
Canadian application or registration for
the exact mark and the specific goods/services you
want to protect abroad. That involves checking to
make sure Canadian word and design applications or
registrations are for current versions and that Canadian
goods/services lists cover present and future plans.
Once your Canadian rights are in place, make a list of
countries and budget for filing costs. Your trademark
advisor will be able to assist with filing instructions as
soon as the amendments are declared in force.
Taking proactive steps now to prepare for the
amendments offers opportunities for cost savings
and the potential for broader rights in Canada and
globally. Canadian companies should act now to ready
themselves for this new trademark landscape.
Canada has also just begun its review of the
Copyright Act, and it remains to be seen what changes
will come to the copyright landscape. Stay tuned.
IH
Cynthia Rowden is counsel and trademark agent with intel-
lectual property law firm Bereskin & Parr LLP in Toronto.
She specializes in all areas of trademark and copyright
law, managing international trademark portfolios of large
Canadian companies and the Canadian portfolios of some of
the biggest trademark owners in the world.
Canadian companies should act now to
ready themselves for this new
trademark landscape.
Discover a team that is committed to quality and
achieving success. With experts in trademark
and patent law, Bereskin & Parr LLP provides
practical and strategic solutions to help create,
manage and enforce worldwide intellectual
property portfolios while understanding your
business needs. As Canada's top-tier IP firm,
we consistently raise the benchmark for IP law.
In the business of brilliance.
bereskinparr.com
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