The Canadian Intellectual Property Office has announced that it will soon open a public consultation period relating to proposed changes to Section 45 proceedings.  The Office advises its goal is to modernize and streamline the Registrar’s practice; what precisely this means, however, is not yet known.

Nonetheless, a few details have emerged: the anticipated changes will include a new practice of issuing, in limited cases, final decisions directly following the filing of evidence; changes are also expected to the Registrar’s practice concerning the granting of extensions of time.

We’ll provide a detailed discussion of the possible changes once the proposed practice notice is made available.