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 widely between jurisdictions. In terms of number …
Valentine’s Day is Sunday, and love is in the air! To celebrate, Brion Raffoul is sharing three patents (and one very special patent application) that will make your heart a-flutter and bring forth images of romance, love, and Valentine’s Day. (Or, at the very least, these should leave you shaking your head in disbelief!) US …
Look for Brion Raffoul’s Throwback Thursday posts, where we revisit posts and cases of interest! Last September, we reported on the Canadian Federal Court case Choueifaty v Canada (2020 FC 837). In that case, the Court rejected the “problem-solution approach” used by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) to assess questions of patentable subject matter. …
Read moreThrowback Thursday: Software Patents and Choueifaty v. Canada
By Liz Gray and Chris Chiavatti A long-running dispute between several producers of liquified natural gas (LNG) is heading to Federal Court. A statement of claim filed by Steelhead LNG alleges that several other LNG companies have infringed Steelhead’s patents and misused confidential information. Steelhead LNG is seeking more than $250 million in damages and …
By Chris Chiavatti, Liz Gray, and Natalie Raffoul On January 6, 2021, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) announced that the PPH pilot program between the CIPO and the European Patent Office (EPO) will now be permanent. The CIPO-EPO PPH allows patent applicants to request accelerated examination in one patent office based on a corresponding …
Wednesday, December 9, 2020, marked the official launch date of Canada’s first patent collective, implemented through the Innovation Asset Collective (IAC)! The IAC will primarily focus on improving the IP strategy and patent portfolios of its member companies, with a view to improving the freedom to operate of the companies in this increasingly competitive global …
Read moreBrion Raffoul LLP Welcomes Canada’s first Patent Collective!
By Chris Chiavatti, Liz Gray, and Dennis Hazsko The ongoing shift towards cleaner energy sources, and electric cars in particular, is driving the quest for better storage of electricity. Innovators around the world are seeking to make batteries that are more powerful, longer-lasting, lighter, and cheaper than ever before. A new report in IAM delves …
Read morePowering Up: Japan and South Korea Energize Battery Innovation
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 the purposes of …
Read moreChoueifaty v Canada: The End of the Problem-Solution Approach for Software Patents?
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 …
Read moreBrion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight Part 6: Facebook, Patents, and Data Collection
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 …
Read moreBrion Raffoul’s Patent Spotlight Part 5: FinTech in Canada
