Important Notices

Privacy Notice

The Government of Canada (GoC) and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is committed to providing our visitors with a Web site that respects their privacy. The following is a summary of the privacy policy and practices on the CIPO Web site.

  • We do not automatically gather any personal information from you, such as your name, phone number, e-mail or address. This information is only obtained if you supply it voluntarily, usually through contacting us via e-mail, online form, or registering in a secure portion of the site.
  • Any personal information you do provide is protected under the federal Privacy Act. This means that, at the point of collection, you will be informed that your personal information is being collected, the purpose for which it is being collected and that you have a right to access the information.
  • We use software that receives and records the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the computer that has contacted our Web site. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site. In a case where it is necessary, the information provided is used solely to resolve client difficulties.
  • We do not normally use "cookies" to track how our visitors use this site or to determine sites previously visited. The system will notify you before any cookies are used so that you may refuse them.
  • Visitor information is not disclosed except to CIPO personnel who need the information, i.e., to respond to a request.

For questions or comments regarding this policy or for additional information about the administration of the Privacy Act at CIPO, contact the CIPO Client Service Centre.

Official Languages Notice

CIPO respects the Official Languages Act and the relevant Treasury Board policies, and is committed to ensuring all information and services on this site are available in both English and French. However, users should be aware that some information from external sources that are not subject to the Official Languages Act is provided only as a convenience and may be available only in the language in which it was provided.

Hyperlinking Notice

Links to Web sites not under the control of the Government of Canada (GoC) are provided solely for the convenience of users. The GoC is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content. The GoC does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the sites and their content.

Users should be aware that information offered by non-GoC sites that are not subject to the Official Languages Act and to which CIPO links, may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question.

Criteria for hyperlinking to and from the CIPO Web site

Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

Non-commercial Reproduction

Information on this Web site has been posted with the intent that it be readily available for personal or public non-commercial use and may be reproduced, in part or in whole, and by any means, without charge or further permission, unless otherwise specified.

Users are required to:

  • Exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
  • Indicate both the complete title of the materials reproduced, as well as the author organization; and
  • Indicate that the reproduction is a copy of an official work that is published by the Government of Canada and that the reproduction has not been produced in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of the Government of Canada.

Unless otherwise specified, this authorization is also applicable to all published information regardless of its format.

Commercial Reproduction

Reproduction of materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution is prohibited except with written permission from the GoC's copyright administrator, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). Through the permission-granting process, PWGSC helps ensure that individuals/organizations wishing to reproduce GoC materials for commercial purposes have access to the most accurate, up-to-date versions. To obtain permission to reproduce materials on this site for commercial purposes, please go to PWGSC's Applying for Copyright Clearance on Government of Canada Works page or contact PWGSC by:

Mail:
Crown Copyright Officer
Crown Copyright and Licensing Section
Canadian Government Publishing
350 Albert St., 4th Floor
Ottawa, ON Canada  K1A 0S5

E-mail: copyright.droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca

Third-party Materials

Some of the materials and graphical elements found on the CIPO Web site are subject to copyrights held by other organizations. This is particularly true of sites that are jointly operated by CIPO and an external organization, as part of a collaborative agreement. In such cases, some restrictions on the reproduction of materials or graphical elements may apply; it may be necessary to seek permission from the author or copyright holder prior to reproduction.

Disclaimer

Some of the information on the CIPO Web site has been provided by external sources. CIPO is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information provided by external sources. Users wishing to rely upon this information should consult directly with the source of the information.