Voluntary use of Nice Classification in Canadian Trade-mark Applications Begins

October 9, 2015

As of September 28, 2015,1 the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has begun accepting Canadian trade-mark applications that use the Nice Classification (see our previous article on Canada’s implementation of trade-mark treaties). While the use of Nice Classification is currently voluntary, its use is recommended by CIPO in preparation for when it does become mandatory as part of Canada’s implementation of certain international trade-mark treaties.
In light of this, CIPO has updated the Canadian trade-marks database, its goods and services manual and the official Trade-marks Journal to display Nice classes. As well, CIPO has updated its electronic filing tools for trade-mark applications to support Nice Classification. CIPO has also published an online ‘Questions and Answers’ document for using Nice Classification in Canada.

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