Publications

The production and circulation of counterfeit products have been an economic and social problem for some time. Not only can such products pose a safety risk to consumers who use them, counterfeit products also lead to considerable lost income for legitimate businesses, decrease consumer confidence in the marketplace and are often used to finance organized crime. The retail value of counterfeit goods seized by the RCMP increased from $7.6 million in 2005 to $38 million in 20121. Although it is generally considered imperative to set up means of eradicating this problem, Canada’s current legal system does not provide the necessary tools to do so. In a concrete attempt to tackle this problem, on March 1st the federal government tabled Bill C-56, An Act to Amend the Copyright Act and the Trade-marks Act and to Make Consequential Amendments to Other Acts, known under the short title the Combating Counterfeit Products Act ( the “Bill” ). As its name implies, the Bill proposes changes to the current legislation to strengthen the rights of copyright holders and trade-mark owners. Among other things, the Bill proposes specific measures to introduce additional civil and criminal actions as well as new border measures.The additional powers given to border authorities no doubt constitute the most concrete measure introduced by the Bill. Customs officers would be able to seize suspicious products as they are being imported into Canada, with a view to potential action under the law. These border measures will not apply to the import or export of goods by individuals for personal use.The Bill also allows a copyright holder or trade-mark owner to file a request for assistance with the Minister to facilitate an action involving products that are imported or exported illegally. In particular, a customs officer with reasonable grounds to suspect that products retained under his or her authority are banned from being imported or exported will have the discretion to provide copyright holders or trade-mark owners who file a request for assistance with samples of the goods and information about the goods, which could be useful in taking civil action against infringers.Furthermore, the Bill introduces new criminal offences for trade-mark counterfeiting that are analogous to existing offences in the Copyright Act. The Bill also creates new criminal offences with respect to the possession and import and export of infringing copies or counterfeit trade-marked goods, packaging or labels.The changes made by the Bill to the Trade-marks Act are quite technical but demonstrate the legislator’s intention to evolve the law to consider changing market realities. The Bill introduces the possibility of registering so-called “non-conventional” trade- marks (sounds, odours, tastes and textures). Other changes are designed to simplify and clarify certain notions in the current legislation.The Bill is an ambitious initiative by the federal government. It will be interesting to follow its progress and see what practical effects it will eventually have._________________________________________ 1 Industry Canada – Backgrounder – “Combating Counterfeit Products Coming into Canada”, March 1, 2013, http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/064.nsf/eng/07280.html.

Employment Conditions of Foreign Workers Share Ownership : an Overview Certificate of Intellectual Property Pertaining to Software

This publication was authored by Luc Thibaudeau, former partner of Lavery and now judge in the Civil Division of the Court of Québec, District of Longueuil. The title of this newsletter gives a good summary of the explanatory notes that serve as an introduction to Bill 14, entitled An Act to amend the Charter of the French language, the Charter of human rights and freedoms and other legislative provisions (the “Bill”). The legislator is concerned that English is being used systematically in certain workplaces. The Bill was tabled on December 5, 2012 and the proposed amendments are designed to reaffirm the primacy of French as the official and common language of Quebec.

Quebec tax holidays for foreign researchers The Amazon.com judgment : The patentability of the one-click Distinguish yourself! Online downloading in the sights of american justice

Hyperlinks and defamation: a Judgment that Clarifies the Rules The Myriad Case: Are DNA Molecules Patentable or Not? Lessons Drawn From the Supreme Court's Decision in Masterpiece: Register Your Trade-Marks!

If your trademarks and business names contain letters with accents and you are the owner of domain names linked with them, it is important to familiarize yourself with the following.With a view to offering owners the possibility of registering domain names that comply with French spelling, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (the « CIRA »), the organization that manages the register of .ca domain names in Canada, plans to implement domain names containing characters peculiar to the French language.

On June 20, 2011, in Singapore, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the global co-ordination body for Internet addresses, approved the new program for the thematic extension of gTLDs. This program will certainly lead to significant growth in the number of domain names (gTLDs) on the Internet. This change will affect all owners of trademarks who will have to weigh the pros and cons and opportunities and risks they will face under the new program, which will be officially launched on January 12, 2012.

Technology Licences in the Event of Bankruptcy New Quebec Business Corporations Regime The Shareholder Agreement: The ”Specifications” of the Private Corporation Shareholder

This publication was authored by Luc Thibaudeau, former partner of Lavery and now judge in the Civil Division of the Court of Québec, District of Longueuil. Disclosure Rules Applicable Prior to the Sale of Additionnal Warranties Attornment of Jurisdiction Clause set Aside in Bankruptcy Proceedings What to do When Your Lessee Declares Bankruptcy

SMEs are not Immune from Class-Actions Suits in Competition Law SMEs and Trade-Marks Dividing up Corporate Shares in the Event of Divorce, Separation from bed and Board, or Dissolution of a Civil Union

Breakdown in Negotiations: the Binding Effect of a Letter of Intent Providing Card Transactions Security: Your Responsibility Certificate of Intellectual Property Pertaining to Software