The current trademark regulations in Canada are mainly based on the Trademark Act of 1985, which was last revised on June 17, 2019. The Canadian Intellectual Property Office is responsible for managing trademark affairs and the official languages are English and French.

Trademark registration is not mandatoy, but in order to protect the trademark or renew it, it must be registered in accordance with the law. Canadian trademark registration follows the principle of “use first”.

Canada is a signatory to international intellectual property treaties such as the Paris Convention, the Nice Agreement, and the Singapore Treaty, and has also become a party to the Madrid Protocol. Therefore, trademark registration can be processed through “single country registration” or “Madrid international registration”.

Currently, Canadian trademark applications use the Nice Classification 11th edition for the description of goods and services, but all goods and services must be described using generic business terms, and broad descriptions are not acceptable. The country accepts multiple types of applications with one form.

The elements that can be registered as trademarks in Canada include: text, name, graphics, color combinations, slogan, dynamic graphics, sound, scent, etc.

If the applicant does not reside in Canada, they can also submit an application directly to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, but they need to provide a mailing address in that country. The basic materials required for trademark application are:

1. Trademark design;
2. Specific categories and product/service items;
3. Name and address of the applicant;
4.If priority is declared, priority information can be provided first.

The main process for applying for registration of a Canadian trademark is: application acceptance, examination, announcement, approval, and issuance of a certificate. The application will be accepted approximately one week after submission. The examiner will conduct formal and substantive examinations on the application. Formal review mainly examines whether the application complies with regulations; The substantive examination includes the examination of the distinctiveness of the trademark, whether it violates the prohibition and prohibition clauses, and whether it conflicts with the prior trademark. If the examination fails, a rejection notice will be issued and the applicant will be required to respond within the time limit specified in the rejection notice. If the substantive examination passes, it will be arranged for public announcement. Two months from the announcement date is the objection period, during which any interested party or prior rights holder may raise objections. The main reasons for raising objections are:

1. Conflict with prior trademarks, such as: possessing prior registered trademarks; possessing prior unregistered trademarks, but having prior use in Canada, etc;
2. The trademark lacks distinctiveness;
3. The trademark has adverse effects;
4. Malicious registration;
5. Conflict with other prior rights, such as trade name rights, design rights, copyrights, personal names, etc.

If there are no objections or objections are not valid during the announcement period, registration can be approved and a registration certificate can be issued. In a smooth situation, trademark registration in Canada takes 29 to 36 months; If things don’t go smoothly and there are objections or rejections along the way, the time will be longer.

Canadian trademarks registered before June 17, 2019 are valid for 15 years, while those registered after June 17, 2019 are valid for 10 years, starting from the date of registration; Renewal can be processed within 6 months of expiration, with a grace period of 6 months and a renewal validity period of 10 years for both.