What changes were made to the trademark registration process in Canada starting in June 2019?

Starting June 17, 2019, Canada made significant updates to its trademark registration system. These changes modernized and simplified the process and allowed Canada to join three international agreements: the Nice Agreement, the Madrid Protocol, and the Singapore Treaty.

The updated trademark registration process offers several key benefits:

• Trademark registration fees were reduced by removing the final registration fees for applications with up to 2 classes.


• The adoption of the "Nice Classification" system, which organizes products and services into 45 classes, makes it easier to search and compare trademarks both nationally and internationally. The fees for filing and renewing trademarks in Canada are now based on the number of classes requested.


• Canadian trademark registrations can now be filed in all member countries of the Madrid System with a single international application.


• The Singapore Treaty has simplified and standardized trademark registration procedures, reducing the requirements for filing applications. For instance, information about the use of the mark is no longer needed to register it.


• The definition of a trademark has been expanded to include "nontraditional" marks like smells, flavors, and textures.

Another important change is the reduction of the trademark registration and renewal period. For trademarks registered or renewed after June 17, 2019, the validity period has been shortened from 15 years to 10 years.