IP/C/W/655/Add.5  
 
9 October  2019 
(19-6529) Page: 1/5 
Council for Trade -Related Aspects of  
Intellectual Property Rights  Original: English  
 
TECHNICAL COOPERATIO N ACTIVITIES:  
INFORMATION FROM MEM BERS  
CANADA  
Addendum  
The following communication, dated 27 September  2019, is being circulated at the request of 
the delegation of Canada.  
 
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1  BRIEF OUTLINE IN TEC HNICAL COOPERATION OVER THE  REPORTING YEAR  
1.  Pursuant to Article 67 of the Agreement on Trade -Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights 
(TRIPS), the Council for TRIPS requests that developed country Members report on their technical 
and financial cooperation programmes in favour of developing and least developed country Members. 
The present document provides an update on Canada's activities concerning technical and financial 
cooperation in the area of intellectual property  (IP) in favour of developing and leas t developed 
country Members, covering the 201 8-2019 period.  
2.  Canada has undertaken a number of technical cooperation activities at the multilateral, 
plurilateral and bilateral levels. At the multilateral level, Canada works in close collaboration with 
the W orld Intellectual Property Organization  (WIPO)  and the Asia -Pacific Economic Cooperation 
Intellectual Property Rights Expert's Group (APEC -IPEG), where Canada participates in the 
organization's biannual deliberations aimed at sharing information and best p ractices on intellectual 
property  rights.  
3.  The following summary provides an update of activities, which are mainly administered by 
the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), Global Affairs Canada, the International 
Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). 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 technica l 
cooperation efforts.  
4.  Details of technical cooperation activities are provided in the Annex.  
 
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  IP/C/W/655/Add.5  
 
- 2 - ANNEX1 
TECHNICAL COOPERATIO N ACTIVITIES FROM 1 SEPTEMBER 201 8 TO 31 AUGUST 201 9 
Activity  Date Location  Brief Description  Link to further details  
Patent 
Cooperation 
Treaty (PTC) 
Regional Seminar 
for Latin American 
Countries  17-19 October, 
2018 United States 
Patent and  
Trademark  
Office's 
(USPTO) 
headquarters  Patent Cooperation Treaty (PTC) Regional Seminar for 
Latin American Countries  -- 
WIPO Program of 
International 
Cooperation in the 
Search and 
Examination of 
Inventions (ICSEI)  Between 1 
September 
2018 and 31 
August 2019  3 re quests 
from Kenya 
and 1 request 
from Trinidad 
and Tobago  CIPO provides search and examination reports of 
patent applications, upon request from other WIPO 
Member States.  -- 
CIPO-WIPO 
Executive 
Workshop on 
Management 
Techniques in the 
Delivery of IP 
Services for senior 
officials from 
developing 
countries  Between 3 June 
and 7 June 
2019 Participants 
were from 
Tanzania, 
Zambia, 
Zimbabwe, 
Gambia, 
Nigeria, 
Botswana, 
Lesotho, 
Egypt, 
Tunisia, Cuba, 
Trinidad and 
Tobago and CIPO-WIPO Executive Workshop on Manage ment 
Techniques in the Delivery of IP Services for senior 
officials from developing countries  Between 3 June and 7 June 2019  
                                                
1 In English only.   
  IP/C/W/655/Add.5  
 
- 3 - Activity  Date Location  Brief Description  Link to further details  
the African 
Regional 
Intellectual 
Property 
Organization 
(ARIPO)  
Pre-recorded 
webinars on IP 
and patents on the 
website of TFO 
Canada  Available 
throughout 
2019 Available 
online  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.  
 https://www.tfocanada.ca/webinars.php  
National 
Legislative 
Development 
project  Between 20 
October 2009 
and 28 
September 
2018 
 Viet Nam  The objective of the project is to strengthen the legal 
foundations for economic growth through an integrated 
program of reforms to the Vietnamese legislative 
development p rocess. It addresses several priorities of 
the Government of Viet Nam's legal reform agenda, 
including: the development of laws that are clear and 
more easily implemented; improved review of 
legislation to ensure that it is consistent internally and 
with o ther legislation; and more effective public 
participation in the lawmaking process. The project 
addresses these concerns through an integrated work 
program addressing all points of the legislative 
development process, with attention to legislation that 
supports economic growth and development.  
 https://w05.international.gc.ca/projectbrowser -
banqueprojets/project -projet/details/a032788001  
Open African 
Innovation 
Research network 
(Open AIR)  -- Africa and 
Canada  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 kn owledge -
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 Partnership Grant from the Social Sc iences 
and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) until March 
2022. They were also selected for the Queen Elizabeth http://www.openair.africa    
  IP/C/W/655/Add.5  
 
- 4 - Activity  Date Location  Brief Description  Link to further details  
Scholars – Advanced Scholars program, funded 
through Universities Canada.  
A new phase which started in 2018, 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 communities 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 optimal and equitable benefits.  
Expert 
Deployment 
Mechanism for 
Trade and 
Development 
(EDM)  Between 2018 
and 2025  Global  The EDM is designed to reduce poverty by deploying, 
on demand, Canadian and international technical 
experts  to assist developing countries negotiate, 
implement, adapt to and benefit from bilateral or 
regional Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Foreign 
Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements 
(FIPAs) with Canada. Experts can be deployed while 
FTA/FIPA explor atory talks are underway, during 
formal negotiations, or following the conclusion and 
ratification of an agreement. There is a significant 
roster of experts relating to IP, including Trade 
Facilitation Office Canada (TFO  Canada).  
 https://edm -mde.ca/  
 
Centre for Trade 
Policy and Law 
(CPTL) – 
guidance, 
support, 
knowledge and 
tools -- -- 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 agreements, 
including specif ic training on IP law and policy issues.   https://carleton.ca/ctpl/   
Communication 
for Policy 
Research (CPR) 
South -South  -- North of 
Sahara, South 
of Sahara, 
North and 
Central 
America, 
South This project aims to foster the emergence of a 
community of policy intellectuals in Africa, Asia and 
Latin America capable of supporting policy formulation 
in the area of information and communicat ion 
technology (ICT) infrastructure and sector 
performance. It will do so by supporting the capacity 
building programs of three IDRC recipients: LIRNEasia, https://www.idrc.ca/en/project/communication -
policy -research -cpr-south -south   
  IP/C/W/655/Add.5  
 
- 5 - Activity  Date Location  Brief Description  Link to further details  
America, 
Central Asia , 
Far East Asia, 
South Asia, 
Sri Lanka, 
Peru, South 
Africa  Research ICT Africa (RIA) and DIRSI, the Spanish 
acronym for Regional Dialogue on the Information 
Society (DIRSI). The programs will follow a common 
research methodology (peering and mentoring) and 
evaluation framework (tracking young scholar 
development). Project activities will consist of an 
annual regional conference that will include at least one 
inter-regional session; a set of tutorials that will allow 
young scholars to interact with international scholars; 
and an internship program that will see the expansion 
of exchanges of young scholars between the three 
regions. The program will also serve to s trengthen 
collaboration, knowledge sharing and cross fertilization 
of ideas between the three initiatives.  
Supplying free 
copies of 
Canadian patent 
documents for 
developing 
countries  Upon reques t 
from WIPO  -- --  -- 
International IP 
Crime Training 
Seminars hosted 
by Interpol  -- -- 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.  -- 
 
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