An Introduction to Intellectual Property (IP) (Page 4 of 10)

An Introduction to Intellectual Property (IP)
(PPT* - 11 MB - 45 slides)

* You need to save the PowerPoint presentation on your computer before seeing it.


Previous | Table of Contents | Next


Trade-marks

A word (or words), a design, or a combination of these used to distinguish the goods and services of one person or organization from those of others in the marketplace


Look around you

… how many trade-marks do you see everyday?

BlackBerry logo
Bell logo
ski-doo
Petro-canada logo

You might notice that some trade-marks are followed by the symbols ® or ™.

Canada's Trade-marks Act dœs not contain any marking requirements. However, you may have come across the following symbols used by trade-mark owners, namely, ® (registered), TM (trade-mark), MD (marque déposée) or MC (marque de commerce). The ® or MD are generally used to identify a registered mark. The symbols TM or MC are generally used to identify an unregistered mark.


Trade-marks can be used to uniquely identify goods and services

Petro-canada logo
Petro-Canada holds the Team sponsorship rights for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games. You will see this logo on our Canadian athletes.

A brand is a collection of perceptions in the mind of the consumer.

A trade-mark is a distinctive indicator which uniquely identifies a particular company, individual, or product/service.


Top Canadian Brands

Canadian brands (in billions of dollars)
Thomson Reuters 9.3
TD 6.7
RBC 6.1
BlackBerry 6.0
Pharmaprix / Shoppers Drug Mart 3.4
Tim Hortons 2.6
Bell 2.5
Rogers 2.3
Scotia 2.1
BMO 2.0
Canadian Tire 1.9

Source: Interbrand Canada, 2010 Best Canadian Brands


Trade-mark protection

In today's competitive global marketplace, branding often becomes the most important aspect of a business or an organization.

Registering a trade-mark has important advantages in Canada:

  • It provides proof of ownership
  • It allows you to flag infringement under the Trade-mark Act
  • It prevents others from adopting a similar trade-mark
  • It can make licensing your products and services easier

Previous | Table of Contents | Next