IP/C/R/TC/CAN/2  
 
4 October  2021 
(21-7407)  Page: 1/6 
Council for Trade -Related Aspects  of 
Intellectual Property Rights  Original: English  
 
 
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES:  
INFORMATION FROM MEMBERS  
CANADA  
The following communication, dated 15 September 2021 , is b eing circulated at the request of 
the delegation of Canada . 
 
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1  INTRODUCTION  
Brief outline of technical cooperation activities undertaken during the  reporting year  
1.  Article 67 of the WTO Agreement on Trade -Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights  
(TRIPS) requires that, "[i]n order to facilitate the implementation of this Agreement, developed 
country Members shall provide, on request and on mutually agreed terms and conditions, technical 
and financial cooperation in favour of developed and least -developed country Members ". Pursuant 
to Article 67 of the TRIPS Agreement, the Council for TRIPS req uests that developed country 
Members report on their technical and financial cooperation programmes in favour of developing and 
least developed  countr ies (LDCs). The present document provides an update on Canada 's activities 
in respect of technical and fin ancial cooperation in the area of intellectual property (IP) in favour of 
developing country and LDC Members, covering the 2020 -2021 period.  
2.  Canada continues to undertake a number of technical cooperation activities in favour of 
developing and LDCs at the multilateral, plurilateral, and bilateral levels. At the multilateral level, 
Canada works in close collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), as 
well as with the Asia -Pacific Economic Cooperation Intellectual Property Right s Experts ' Group 
(APEC -IPEG) where Canada participates in the IPEG 's biannual deliberations aimed at sharing 
information and best practices on IP rights. In addition, Canada 's technical cooperation activities are 
administered by the Canadian Intellectual P roperty Office (CIPO), Global Affairs Canada, the Royal 
Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and other 
Government of Canada departments and agencies. Other Canadian institutions that receive funding 
from the  Government of Canada, such as the Centre for Trade Policy and Law (CTPL), and the 
University of Ottawa, are also involved in international technical cooperation efforts.  
3.  Details of technical cooperation activities are provided in the Annex.  
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- 2 - ANNEX1 
Name of programme or project  CIPO -WIPO Executive Workshop on IP Office Management  
Date and end date  24 April 2021 - 7 May 2021  
Beneficiary Member(s) or observer(s)   
Brief description  CIPO hosts and delivers an annual CIPO -WIPO Executive Workshop on management techniques in the delivery of 
IP services, for senior officials from developing countries. Due to the COVID -19 pandemic, this year 's workshop 
was held virtually over the course of two weeks. As a new feature this year, participants were required to conduct 
an IP management research project under the guidance of a CIPO advisor.  
 
The objectives of the two -week workshop were to:  
• Enhance knowledge and skills in the area of management techniques in the delivery of IP services;  
• Improve the capacity of IP officials;  
• Provide participants with first -hand experience of the nature and scope of Canada 's IP expertise, products 
and services;  and 
• Provide a forum to exchange ideas and experiences with officials from other IP offices.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information  https://www.wipo.int/tad/en/activitydetails.jsp?id=23361  
Contact point for further information   
 
 
1 In English only .  
  IP/C/R/TC/CAN/2  
 
- 3 - Name of programme or project  Pilot Program of Training for patent examiners in the area of computer -implemented inventions for 
Central American countries and the Dominican Republic  
Date and end date  7 September 2020 - 30 September 2020  
Beneficiary Member(s) or observer(s)  Costa Rica; Dominican Republic; El Salvador; Gu atemala; Honduras; Nicaragua; Panama  
Brief description  Upon request from WIPO, CIPO provided technical assistance in the form of assisting with a pilot collaborative 
training program me for patent examiners in Latin American countries. A patent examiner from CIPO provided an 
overview of Canadian laws and regulations, as well as on the practice of CIPO on the substantive examination of 
computer -implemented inventions; the examiner also pr esented examination cases.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
 
Name of programme or project  Pre-recorded webinars on IP and patents on the website of Trade Facilitation Office (TFO) Canada  
Date and end date  1 January 2021 - 31 December 2021  
Beneficiary Member(s) or observer(s)   
Brief description  These webinars, which were recorded in 2016 through CIPO collaboration with TFO Canada, are available in English 
on the TFO Canada website for embassies, consulates and businesses from developing and emerging countries.  
 
Topics covered: Basics of Canadian  IP, Registering patents in Canada, Registering trademarks in Canada, IP 
Foundations for women entrepreneurs, Overview of IP – trademarks for SMEs.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information  https://www.tfocanada.ca/webinars.php  
Contact point for further information   
  
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- 4 - Name of programme or project  Open African Innovation Research network (Open AIR)  
Date and end date   
Beneficiary Member(s) or observer(s)   
Brief description  Open AIR is a unique collaborative network of researchers spread across Africa and Canada. Their research aims 
to ease tensions between IP and access to knowledge, and to understand how knowledge -based businesses can 
take advantage of global opportunities, while sharing the benefits of innovation throughout society. Open AIR is 
funded by Canada 's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and has a P artnership Grant from the Social 
Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) until March 2022. They were also selected for the Queen 
Elizabeth Scholars – Advanced Scholars program me, funded through Universities Canada.  
A new phase which started in 20 18, implemented in collaboration with the University of Cape Town, South Africa, 
will research how Africa 's high -tech hubs are facilitating the adaptation and adoption of emerging technologies in 
Africa, including artificial intelligence; how maker communi ties facilitate inclusive innovation, especially by 
empowering women and girls and benefitting members of marginalized groups; and how to build confidence in 
Indigenous populations to effectively participate in collaborative knowledge production with optim al and equitable 
benefits.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information  http://www.openair.africa  
Contact point for further information   
 
Name of programme or project  Expert Deployment Mechanism for Trade and Development (EDM) – Strengthen Intellectual Property 
Rights (IPRs) Protection in Viet  Nam 
Date and end date  1 January 2021  
Beneficiary Member(s) or observer(s)   
Brief description  This technical assistance activity is supporting the IP Office of Viet  Nam to implement legal and administrative 
reforms that will better enable the country to fulfil its commitments under the Comprehensive and Progressive 
Agreement for Trans -Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).  
 
The technical assistance is benefitting officials in three major ways: i) it is exposing them to how sound marks and 
undisclosed test data for agricultural chemical products are protected in Canada; ii) it is exposing them to how IP 
rights are enforced by Canadian border officials and through cr iminal remedies; and iii) it is helping officials develop 
tools to raise public and private sector understanding of IP obligations in the CPTPP.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for furt her information  https://edm -mde.ca/portfolio/strengthen -intellectual -property -rights -iprs-protection -in-viet-nam/  
Contact point for further information    
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- 5 - Name of programme or project  Expert Deployment Mechanism for Trade and Development (EDM) – Strengthen Intellectual Property 
Rights (IPRs) Protection in Viet  Nam 
Name of programme or project  Strengthening cyber policy research centres in the Global South – Centre for Intellectual Property and Information 
Technology Law  
Date and end date  1 January 2019 - 31 December 2022  
Beneficiary Member(s) or observer(s)   
Brief description  This project is strengthening research and policy capacity on critical digital policy issues to ensure that policymakers 
in the Global South consistently use objective, high quality research to infor m digital policy development. This 
project is supporting cyber policy research centres to develop a robust policy research agenda that addresses all 
facets of cyber and digital policy, including innovation, human rights, and security, and the interplay of these issues 
in the Global South.  
This project has created an academic, open access, peer -reviewed journal – the Journal of Intellectual Property 
and Information Technology (JIPIT). Strathmore University Press published volume one in May 2021, and is 
currently preparing for the next volume. A podcast has also been developed called The Friendly Troll, with 
observations of the global tech industry from the perspective of the Global South.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider( s)  
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information  https://www.idrc.ca/en/project/strengthening -cyber -policy -research -centres -global -south -centre -intellectual -
property -and 
Contact point for further information   
 
Name of programme or project  Initiative for Digital Rights in Latin America (INDELA)  
Date and end date  1 January 2019 - 31 December 2021  
Beneficiary Member(s) or observer(s)  Argentina; Plurinational State of Bolivia; Brazil; Chile; Colombia; Cuba; Ecuador; Mexico; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; 
Uruguay; Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela  
Brief description  The project is strengthening and supporting the digital rights ecosystem in Latin America b y building the capacity 
of key and emerging thought leaders with skills, knowledge, and resources; addressing critical challenges around 
digital rights; and promoting coordination among funders and organizations.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Tech nical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information  https://www.idrc.ca/en/project/initiative -digital -rights -latin-america-indela  
Contact point for further information   
  
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- 6 - Name of programme or project  Supplying free copies of Canadian patent documents for developing countries  
Date and end date   
Beneficiary Member(s) or observer(s)   
Brief description   
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
 
Name of programme or project  Centre for Trade Policy and Law (CPTL) – guidance, support, knowledge and tools  
Date and end date   
Beneficiary Member(s) or observer(s)   
Brief description  The Canada -based CTPL is a Canadian institution that provides developing and transition economies with guidance 
and support to sustain them in the short -term and with the knowledge and tools to ensure their full participation 
in international trade agreeme nts, including specific training on IP law and policy issues.   
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information  https://car leton.ca/ctpl/  
Contact point for further information   
 
Name of programme or project  International IP Crime Training Seminars hosted by Interpol  
Date and end date   
Beneficiary Member(s) or observer(s)   
Brief description  The RCMP has contributed to the seminars each year. The seminars have been given to participants from developed 
and least developed countries, facilitating the exchange of best practices and techniques, and networking.  
Beneficiary institution or audience   
Technical cooperation provider(s)   
Outputs or impact   
Website for further information   
Contact point for further information   
 
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