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IPW Webinar – Patenting Software in Canada – Why Things Have Gotten a Lot Easier

November 3, 2020 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST

Webinar Sponsored By:

Few things in the patent world have been as contentious as software patents have been over the last decade. Once upon a time, the best, easiest, and strongest protection was available in the United States. At least since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Alice v. CLS Bank in 2014 that has not been the case. And as so much innovation— by some calculations two-thirds of all patentable innovations— related so software, artificial intelligence, or machine learning, obtaining any patent protection has become increasingly difficult in the U.S.

Meanwhile, north of the border, in Canada, the Federal Court of Canada recently issued a decision in Choueifaty v. Canada, which held that the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) had not been applying the proper test when determining whether computer-implemented methods qualify as an invention that is eligible for patent protection. In essence, the Choueifaty decision paves the way for software inventions to be patented even when implemented using generic computer components.

Those familiar with European practice no-doubt are familiar with the problem-solution approach to drafting software patents, which although not the law in the U.S. is believed by many to be a safe harbor. The problem-solution approach had also evolved to be adopted in Canada, but Choueifaty now strikes down that approach as being too strict and inconsistent with Canadian patent law.

Amidst this important change in the handling of software patent applications by CIPO, join Gene Quinn, patent attorney and founder of IPWatchdog.com, for a free webinar conversation about what this means for innovators and companies looking to protect computer-implemented innovations. Joining Gene will be Louis-Pierre Gravelle, a partner in the Montréal office of Robic.

 

Details

Date:
November 3, 2020
Time:
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
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Website:
https://hubs.ly/H0ysNY00