OTTAWA – The Ministry of Industry officially amended the Canadian Patent Act in July after the World Trade Organization ruled that the protective measures governing intellectual property rights in the Act did not meet the 20-year international standard.

Under the former Act, patents benefited from a term of 17 years counted from the date the patent was granted (based on applications filed before Oct. 1, 1989, former Section 45 of the Act). Amendments to Bill S-17 add three more years to the term of protection of Canadian patents. As of July 12, 2001, 45,000 non-expired "Old Act" patents with terms of less than 20 years, counted from the date of filing in Canada, will be automatically extended to the minimum 20-year standard requirement. (CO Staff)

 

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