Canada’s IP Strategy Invigorated With 3 Initiatives to Address Gaps

Government’s ‘patent collective’ critical for boosting awareness, strategic use of intellectual property

Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains (2nd L) introduced three intellectual property initiatives at the University of Waterloo on Aug. 1, 2019. Courtesy University of Waterloo

News Analysis

The government may have finally come up with a program to move the needle in getting Canadian small businesses and entrepreneurs to make intellectual property (IP) a more central role in their operations.

Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains announced three IP initiatives to encourage businesses to change the way they think about patenting and to get the most commercial success out of it. The government views greater IP literacy as crucial in spurring economic growth, scaling up small businesses, and creating well-paying jobs.