Last updated on June 29th, 2022 at 12:18 pm

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is taking significant steps to help Canadian businesses expand to international markets through the modernization of Canada’s IP system.

The CIPO will be joining three important international trademark treaties which will help Canadian businesses looking to enter or expand their presence in international markets.

What Are These Treaties And How Does It Benefit Canadian Businesses?

Madrid Protocol

The Madrid System is an international registration system that facilitates the registration and management of trademarks in multiple jurisdictions around the world.

When Canada becomes a member of the Madrid System, it will allow your business to file a single application in one language for a single fee and in one currency.

Currently, Canadian businesses must file separate trademark applications for each country in order to obtain trademark protection for that country.

This is a significant cost savings.

Singapore Treaty

The objective of the Singapore Treaty is to create a modern and dynamic international framework for the harmonization of administrative trademark registration procedures. 

Better alignment with international standards allows the CIPO to adapt to future challenges to the trademark system in an efficient manner.

As a result, Canadian businesses will benefit from streamlined processes, a reduced administrative burden and user-friendly options to protect their trademarks at home and abroad.

Nice Agreement

The Nice Agreement governs an international system used to categorize goods and services for the purpose of registering trademarks.

The Nice Classification system creates specific categories for goods and services that are harmonized across all member countries, making it easier to search for and compare different trademarks.

The Government of Canada has set June 17, 2019, as the day the three trademark treaties will come into force.