#CanITrademarkThisHashtag?

Did you know that 7 out of 10 hashtags used on Instagram are branded related? In today’s digital age, social media plays a large part in a brand’s marketing efforts. Hashtag campaigns, in particular, have become increasingly popular to help build & track brand awareness and increase the visibility of products and services. As with
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Beginners Guide: How to Perform a Trademark Search in Canada

So you just finalized your brand’s name and logo designs…but do they conflict with any current registered trademarks? According to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office’s IP Canada 2017 Report, 34,306 trademarks were registered in 2016. When a trademark is registered, it is protected by law from the misuse of others. The search engine on the Canadian
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Case Study #1

Absurd Retraction Demand from IMAXin the name of Trademark Infringement On June 16, 2015, ArsTechnicareceived a retraction demand from IMAX, requesting Ars to retract a published story that contains a brief reference to IMAX. In a letter written to Ars, IMAX’s Deputy General Counsel G. Mary Ruby wrote: “Any unauthorized use of our trademark is
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Canada Finally Accepting Trademark Applications for Sounds

As of late March 2012, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is accepting sound-based trademark applications. This policy change follows a 20 year battle with CIPO and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios to trademark its famous lion’s roar. In the past, CIPO took the position that sounds could not be trademarked, while other jurisdictions around the world
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