Every so often, a patent application makes us wonder “but why?”. We recently came across this 2014 decision of the Commissioner of Patents regarding Canadian Patent Application No. 2,371,743, entitled “Alcoholic Yogurt Refreshment”. But why, we asked, would a person want to spike their yogurt? The answer: “to …
Nike is suing Vancouver-based Lululemon for allegedly wilfully infringing six patents owned by Nike. The patents at issue relate to fitness technology used by Mirror, a home-gym company acquired by Lululemon in 2020. Among examples of the allegedly infringing technology given by Nike is an adaptive watch that monitors the heart rate of a …
Canadian Thanksgiving is six weeks ahead of its more famous counterpart in the United States. This gives Canadians a six-week headstart ahead of festivities south of the US-Canadian border — but we still celebrate with pumpkin pie, (Canadian) football, and of course, plenty of turkey. In celebration, Brion …
Attabotics, a Calgary-based robotics company, is suing Urbx, a Boston-based competitor, for alleged patent infringement. Both Attabotics and Urbx produce automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) for retailers. Attabotics has a large patent portfolio, with seven (7) issued US patents and dozens of pending applications throughout the world. …
By Julia London & Chris Chiavatti Applicants who wish to patent an invention in Canada should consider the Patent Prosecution Highway (“PPH”) to accelerate patent prosecution at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (“CIPO”). The PPH[1] is an excellent tool to save time and cut costs. The CIPO currently …
Recognition in the IAM Patent 1000, the world’s leading listing of patent firms and professionals, is a highly sought-after honour. Brion Raffoul LLP has been recognized for the seventh year in a row by IAM Patent 1000 as a World Leading Patent Firm in Canada for 2021. Brion Raffoul LLP was ranked amongst the top …
Canada Day is tomorrow and what better way to celebrate it in the patent world than looking back at some of the most memorable Canadian inventions and innovations: Insulin: Insulin, featured on Canada’s $100 bill, is one of Canada’s best-known discoveries. Insulin was discovered by Sir Frederick G. Banting, with the help of his assistant Charles Best and biochemist James Collip (who is often …
On October 30, 2019, Canada implemented new Patent Rules. Among other changes, the new Rules eliminated Canada’s late entry for national phase as of right. Under the old Rules, international filings could be entered into national phase for up to 42 months from the earliest priority date, with …
Look for Brion Raffoul’s Throwback Thursday posts, where we revisit posts and cases of interest! In December 2019, we reported on CanMar Foods Ltd. v TA Foods LTD (2019 FC 1233, “CanMar FC”). CanMar FC was the first case to look at Section 53.1 of the Patent Act–a …
By José Seba and Chris Chiavatti Patent practitioners certainly know how busy an IP practice can be. A day can quickly fill up (and then some) with routine prosecution matters. However, have you ever thought about the workload of a patent Examiner? The number of patent Examiners varies …
