Patents | Brion Raffoul LLP

Choueifaty v Canada: The End of the Problem-Solution Approach for Software Patents?

September 4, 2020September 4, 2020 by Brion Raffoul

By Liz Gray On August 21, 2020, the Canadian Federal Court rejected the problem-solution approach adopted by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) for assessing patentable subject matter under the Patent Act. The problem-solution approach has long been the standard used by CIPO to determine whether a claim element is “essential” to the invention for …

Brion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight Part 6: Facebook, Patents, and Data Collection

August 26, 2020August 27, 2020 by Brion Raffoul

By Joshua Proud and Art Brion The use of social media continues to grow at a rapid rate. There are currently more than three and a half (3.5) billion social media users worldwide and this represents nearly half of the entire global population! While beginning as entertainment, social media now plays a central role in …

Brion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight Part 5: FinTech in Canada

August 24, 2020August 26, 2020 by Brion Raffoul

By Alexandra Johnson Dingee, Art Brion, Dennis Haszko and Liz Gray E-transferring some money may not feel like taking part in a technology revolution, but advancements in financial technology (FinTech) are reshaping the way Canadians use financial services and products. Today, Part 5 of Brion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight Series will provide an overview of the …

Brion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight Series Part 4: Nanotechnology

August 24, 2020August 25, 2020 by Brion Raffoul

By Tina Dekker, Art Brion, and Dennis Haszko Welcome to Part 4 of Brion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight! In this series, we have been highlighting new and interesting patents from various fields as inspiration to businesses and innovators. A patent’s value to a business is not always evident and is often misunderstood. By sharing recent patent …

Brion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight Part 3: GUIs and Design Patents

July 29, 2020July 30, 2020 by Brion Raffoul

By Alexandra Johnson Dingee, Art Brion, Dennis Haszko In Part 3 of Brion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight Series, this week’s topic is graphical user interfaces or GUIs (pronounced gooeys). In 2020, there are approximately 3.5 Billion smart-phone users worldwide. With the proliferation of the smartphone, GUIs are more important than ever. Since its invention in the …

Brion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight Part 2: Amazon – A Company Built Around Patents

July 29, 2020July 29, 2020 by Brion Raffoul

By Joshua Proud, Art Brion, Dennis Haszko, Natalie Raffoul Amazon is a global leader in e-commerce and cloud computing services. Since its creation in 1994, the company has been steadily growing, with a current market capitalization of over one (1) trillion US dollars. Amazon has been built around a strong Intellectual property (IP) portfolio. Famously …

Brion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight Part 1: Artificial Intelligence

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020 by Brion Raffoul

By Tina Dekker, Art Brion, Dennis Haszko Welcome to Part 1 of Brion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight! In this series, we will highlight new and interesting patents from various fields as inspiration to businesses and innovators. A patent’s value to a business is not always evident and can be often misunderstood. By sharing recent patent stories …

Brion Raffoul and its Partners recognized in IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2020 Ranking

June 23, 2020June 23, 2020 by Brion Raffoul

Since 2014, Brion Raffoul has consistently ranked as one of the leading patent prosecution firms, and has ranked its partners, Art Brion and Natalie Raffoul, as leading patent practitioners in Canada. https://www.iam-media.com/directories/patent1000/rankings/canada “IP boutique Brion Raffoul lives and breathes innovation. Never afraid to push the envelope, it can translate any invention into an issued patent …

Why Every Startup Needs an IP Strategy

June 17, 2020June 17, 2020 by Brion Raffoul

By Tina Dekker, Art Brion and Natalie Raffoul If you’re a startup, protecting your intellectual property (IP) can seem daunting and less important in light of other, seemingly more pressing, matters involved in getting your new business off the ground. However, creating an IP strategy is incredibly important as it provides both short and long …

In Patent-Speak: When is a Brassiere an N95 Mask?

April 23, 2020April 24, 2020 by Dennis Haszko

In these especially challenging times, one must be able to see through the fog of distracting information. The same holds true for the bureaucratic process of filing for a patent. A case in point is a 3M Company patent (U.S. Patent No 3,064,329) for a molded nonwoven fabric article and related manufacturing process for making …