Patent: Patents cover new and useful inventions (product, composition, machine, process) or any new and useful improvement to an existing invention.
Industrial Design: An Industrial Design protects the visual features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornament, or any combination of these features applied to a finished article.
Provisional Patent: Canada does not offer provisional patent applications; however, there has been a process in Canada since 1996, which is similar to the process in the U.S., where an applicant can get an early filing date in Canada without filing a complete patent application. Unlike a U.S. provisional patent application which must be filed as a non-provisional application before becoming a patent, in Canada, a second patent application may be filed claiming (internal) priority over the previously filed application. Requirements include a request in writing to have a patent granted, a document in English or French describing the invention, the applicant's name and address (or their patent agent's address); and the filing fee.1
Canada became a member of the Patent Cooperation Treaty in January 1990 and is a signatory to numerous treaties and conventions including, but not limited to the following:
For information regarding how to file international, regional or national patent applications in each country, we welcome you to contact us.
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2 https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr02322.html