Breaking news - expedited examination NOW AVAILABLE in canada!

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

By Trish Sawhney

​In an effort to speed up the trademark registration process in Canada, effective immediately, CIPO will begin accepting expedited examination requests in the form of an affidavit or statutory declaration. The affidavit or statutory declaration must clearly set out how one or more of the following criteria are met:
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1. A court action is expected or underway in Canada with respect to the applicant's trademark in association with the goods or services listed in the application;
   
   
2. The applicant is in the process of combating counterfeit products at the Canadian border with respect to the applicant's trademark in association with the goods or services listed in the application;
   
   
3. The applicant requires registration of its trademark in order to protect its intellectual property rights from being severely disadvantaged on online marketplaces; or
   
   
4. The applicant requires registration of its trademark in order to preserve its claim to priority within a defined deadline and following a request by a foreign intellectual property office. Note that in such cases the request will need to be attached to the affidavit or statutory declaration.

Should the request be accepted, CIPO will examine the application as soon as possible, which reduces the current 24-28 month wait time significantly.

​If you believe your trademark application meets the requirements above, contact us today to see if we can expedite your application process!