Publications
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A picture is worth a thousand woes!
A recent Federal Court decision 1 reiterates the importance of protecting the main design elements featured on products and packaging. This decision also recalls the dangers of too closely mimicking the appearance of a competitor’s products. Goudreau Gage Dubuc, one of the leading (…)
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New regulations for the owners of non-French trade-marks
On November 24th, 2016, the Quebec government has adopted new regulations regarding the public display of non-French trade-marks in Quebec. The new regulations may be summarized as follows: trade-marks do not have to be translated into French but French language must be sufficiently present in all (…)
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Trade-marks in Quebec and the Charter of the French Language: the end of a debate, and the start of another?
As previously announced in our newsletter on April 14, 2016, the Quebec government published draft regulations that would put an end to the debate regarding the public display of trade-marks in Quebec. The Quebec government has finally abandoned the idea of requiring a French descriptor when (…)
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Trade-marks in Quebec and the Charter of the French Language: the end of a debate?
According to information presently available, it appears that the Quebec government will forgo implementing legislative amendments that would have forced companies conducting business in Quebec to add a French descriptor to signs displaying their non-French trade-marks. Instead, after some (…)
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Nice Classification: A first step in Canada’s upcoming trademark reform
It is now possible to adopt the Nice classification for trademark applications in Canada. This new measure, which is currently voluntary but will become mandatory once the new provisions of the Trade-Marks Act come into force, allows a trademark owner to classify goods and services among the 45 (…)
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The Charter of the French Language reviewed by the Court of Québec
The Court of Québec has recently examined the application of the Charter of the French Language (the “Charter”) in the case of Boulangerie Maxie’s 1. This decision provides clarification as to what constitutes a “markedly predominant” use of the French language in advertising and public signs. The (…)
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Future changes to Canada’s Trade-Marks Act
Significant modifications to the Canadian trade-mark system are expected in the near future. According to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (“CIPO”), the amendments should come into force at the end of 2015 or early 2016. Said changes arise from the negotiation of a free trade agreement (…)