Edmonton property sale washes away patent rights
An interesting question arose in a recent case before the Alberta King’s Bench Court: Can a patent holder prevent the sale of...Read More
Federal Court depletes AP&C’s validity arguments
Two patents relating to the processes for manufacturing reactive metal powders were found invalid for ambiguity pursuant to subsection 27(4) of the...Read More
Battery battle: Duracell’s good faith sparks win over legal costs
Energizer and Gillette (Duracell) could not settle on costs following a decision of the Federal Court. Although Energizer was awarded an injunction...Read More
Federal Court invalidates patent based on counsel’s admission of invalidity before Québec court
Background In Robitaille Equipment et al. v. 9125-6651 Quebec Inc. et al., the Federal Court decided a motion for summary judgment concerning...Read More
Court declines to dismiss action for undue delay but requires security for costs
Background The underlying action for copyright infringement in Comartin v. Marsh was commenced in November 2020. The action stalled after the exchange...Read More
No, no, no, no, don’t PUNK with Brewdog’s Trademark
In 2024 FC 891, Justice Tsimberis dismissed PDM’s appeal of the Trademarks Opposition Board’s decision to deny PDM’s trademark (“TM”) application for...Read More
Federal Court refuses Adeia’s pleadings amendment
The Federal Court refused a motion to amend a pleading in a patent infringement action by Adeia (formerly Rovi) for the operation...Read More
Federal Court resurrects trademark registration for Red Maple Manufacturing
Red Maple Manufacturing Inc. (RMM) successfully appealed a decision of the Trademarks Opposition Board, which amended its trademark registration to delete the...Read More
Identity of suppliers and manufacturing information protected from an ATI request
The Federal Court redetermined the judicial review by Elanco Canada Limited, which challenged Health Canada’s decision to disclose portions of Elanco’s veterinary...Read More
Preventous’ fishing expedition (v Canada): Hook, line, and sinker-but no catch
The Federal Court dismissed a Federal Courts Rule 51 appeal by Preventous Collaborative Health, which sought the production of documents from Health...Read More
Every cat has its Filadae: Panthera motorsports takes on Jaguar Land Rover and wins!
Branding is a serious business in the automotive industry. Companies go to great lengths to protect their trademarks, sometimes leading to disputes....Read More
They have the power: Canadian Energy Services v Commissioner of Patents
In a recent decision, the Federal Court upheld the Commissioner of Patents’ decision to vary the Patent Office records and name Mr....Read More
Patent rules and regulations amended to align with CUSMA
The proposed amendments to the Canadian Patent Rules attempt to align them with the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement. The revisions primarily focus on implementing patent term adjustments to create remedies...Read More
A cautionary tale on appealing trademark oppositions: Trouble with narrowing distinctiveness grounds and website analytics
In D.M.C. SRL v Giusti, DMC appealed the Trademarks Opposition Board’s rejection of their opposition of Giusti’s trademark application no. 1,611,381. Giusti...Read More
An untimely discovery: A case study of Meridian Manufacturing Inc v Concept Industries Ltd
Discovery facilitates the exchange of crucial information necessary to build a case and ensure a fair resolution. In patent infringement disputes, parties...Read More
FCA affirms scope of “use” required for infringement
The Federal Court of Appeal upheld a summary trial decision finding Arc Resources Ltd., Rockies LNG Limited Partnership, Rockies LNG GP Corp....Read More
In trademark appeal, Federal Court finds survey evidence inadmissible due to reliability and validity issues
Background In Promotion in Motion Inc. v. Hershey Chocolate & Confectionery LLC, the Federal Court dismissed an appeal brought under section 56 of...Read More
Seven years of delay invites dismissal
On April 25, 2017, Vermillion filed an application seeking expungement of Green Circle’s Green Circle Salons and Design mark. Seven years later,...Read More
Federal Court of Appeal echoes the Federal Court smart speaker decision
Justice Locke, writing a unanimous decision for the Federal Court of Appeal in Google LLC v Sonos Inc., 2024 FCA 44, dismissed...Read More
Rejected allegations on insufficiency: The importance of clarity, specificity, and timeliness in amending pleadings
ProSlide Technology Inc. v WhiteWater West Industries Ltd. is an appeal of an Associate Judge’s Order denying WhiteWater’s motion to amend its...Read More
A bittersweet default judgment for Honey
The Federal Court granted default judgment in favour of Heather McDowell, owner of Toronto-based fashion boutique Honey, against the online boutique “A...Read More
Exchanging documents before discovery: A simplified procedure
In Rosebrook v Hill Times Publishing Inc., the Federal Court addressed whether a plaintiff (“Rosebrook”) is required to serve the defendant (“Canadian...Read More
Minor design elements will not rack the casual consumer’s brain
King Rack filed a trademark application seeking registration of its BUZZRACK design mark based on use in association with various rack-style carriers...Read More
Assessing TM Confusion: Patients Matter
Novartis v. Biogen involves claims of trademark infringement, passing off and depreciation of goodwill and raises several interesting issues. The Applicants, Novartis...Read More
Canadian Copyright Act draws the line between Rio Tinto and foreign author
GE commenced a copyright infringement action against Canmec, asserting ownership of copyright in 33 manufacturing drawings relating to butterfly valves. GE claimed...Read More