WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
IP/C/W/573 
24 August 2012  
 
(12-4588) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects of 
Intellectual Property Rights Original:   English 
 
 
 
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES: 
INFORMATION FROM MEMBERS 
 
CANADA 
 
  The following communication, dated 23 July 2012, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of Canada.  
 Communications from other developed country Me mbers will be circulated as addenda to this 
document.  
_______________ 
 
 
1. Pursuant to Article 67 of the Agreement on Tr ade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property 
Rights (TRIPS), the Council for TRIPS requests th at developed country Members report on their 
technical and financial cooperation programmes in fa vour 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 in favour of  developing and least developed 
country Members. Canada's 2011 report covering the 2010-2011 peri od was issued on 6 October 2011 
(IP/C/W/560/Add.4). 
2. Canada has undertaken a number of technical  cooperation activities at the multilateral, 
plurilateral and bilateral levels.  At the multilateral level, Ca nada contributes to two WTO funds, 
namely the WTO Doha Development Agenda Global Trust Fund (DDAGTF) and the Enhanced 
Integrated Framework (EIF) and works in close collaboration with the World Intellectual Property 
Organization.  Canada also provides continuing c ontributions to the World Bank, the Inter-American 
Development Bank, the African Development Bank and the Asia Development Bank, as well as the 
Global Environment Facility (GEF).  Canada's regiona l activities are mainly undertaken in the context 
of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Intellect ual Property Rights Expert's Group (APEC-IPEG), 
where Canada participates in the organization's bi annual deliberations aimed at sharing information 
and best practices on intellectual property rights.  Ca nada's bilateral efforts are mainly focused on the 
Latin American, Caribbean and Asia-Pacific regions.    3. The following summary provides an update of these activities, wh ich are mainly administered 
by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (C IPO), the Canadian International Development 
Agency (CIDA), International Development Research  Centre (IDRC), Health Canada (HC) and the 
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).  Other Cana dian institutions, such as the Centre for Trade 
Policy and Law (CTPL) and Department of Foreign A ffairs and International Trade (DFAIT), are also 
involved in international tec hnical cooperation efforts.   
 IP/C/W/573 
Page 2  
 
  I. MULTILATERAL CONTRIBUTIONS  
4. Regarding the process of priority needs assessme nt from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), 
and in addition to the programmes listed in Canada 's 2011 report, Canada has made contributions to 
two multilateral assistance funds. Canada has contri buted approximately CAN$  500,000 annually to 
the WTO DDAGTF which has financed a number of technical assistance activities related to the 
TRIPS Agreement, and will be c ontributing CAN$2.5M for the peri od 2009-2010 through  2013-2014.  
In 2012, Canada also contributed approximat ely CAN$7.7 million fulfilling its 2007 commitment to 
provide CAN$19.2 million over five years to the EIF wh ich aims to further enable LDCs to build their 
productive capacities such that they can take adva ntage of emerging global market opportunities. 
II. PROGRAMMES BY DEPARTMENT, AGENCY OR ORGANIZATION  
A. C
ANADIAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE (CIPO)1 
5. Between 28 May 2012 and 1 June 2012, the Ca nadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) 
hosted its annual CIPO/WIPO Executive Workshop on the "Application of Management Techniques 
in the Delivery of Intellectual Prope rty Services".   The training c ourse is open to nationals from the 
following Regions: Latin America; Caribbean Region;  Asia-Pacific;  the Middle East;  Africa; and 
Eastern Europe.   Seven Senior Officials from Egyp t, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippines, South Africa, 
Mexico and Thailand participated in the 5-day wo rkshop.  The Workshop included presentations on 
topics such as quality management, leveraging intern ational relationships, unde rstanding client needs, 
the challenges of designing a proper national intellectual property policy and the role of WIPO Academy and the challenges in IP training.  It al so provided participants with insight into the 
Canadian Intellectual Property system and the management techniques used at CIPO, with a view to 
improve the capacity of intellectual property official s in developing countries.  Both CIPO and WIPO 
bear all costs associated with this workshop.  6. CIPO organized a Sub-Regional Seminar on the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) for 
Caribbean countries.  The training took place in Sa int John's, Antigua and Barbuda, from 29 February 
to 2 March 2012 and representatives from seven c ountries were in attendance.  The two day session 
covered all aspects of the PCT process.  All costs were covered by WIPO and CIPO. 
 7. CIPO provides other activities in favour of deve loping and least developed country Members, 
including the following:   
 Performing state-of-the-art searches under th e WIPO Patent Information Searches for 
developing countries. CIPO performed 13 requests in 2011/12;   
 Providing search and examination reports of pa tent applications unde r the WIPO Programme 
of International Cooperation in the Search and Examination of Inventions (ICSEI); and 
 Supplying free copies of Canadian patent doc uments for developing countries, upon request 
from WIPO.  
 
B. CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CIDA) 
8. CIDA is Canada's lead agency for development assistance and aims to manage Canada's 
support and resources effectively and accountably to achieve meaningful, sustainable results as well 
as engage in policy development in Canada and internationally, enabli ng Canada's effort to realize its 
development objectives.  CIDA is responsible fo r various technical cooperation and financial 
                                                      
1 An overview of CIPO's international initiatives is provided at: 
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/wr02324.html#apec.    IP/C/W/573 
 Page 3 
 
 
  cooperation programmes with deve loping countries which seek to provide support to legislation 
reform.  Such programmes include2: 
 
 National Legislative Development project (Viet Nam) - The objective of the project is 
to strengthen the legal foundations for economic growth through an integrated 
programme of reforms to the Vietnamese legislative development process.  It addresses 
several priorities of the Government of Viet  Nam's legal reform agenda, including: the 
development of laws that are clear and mo re easily implemented; improved review of 
legislation to ensure that it is consistent in ternally and with other legislation; and more 
effective public participation in the lawm aking process.  The project addresses these 
concerns through an integrated work progra mme addressing all points of the legislative 
development process, with attention to legi slation that supports economic growth and 
development.  
 
 Policy Implementation Assistance Project (PIAP) - Phase III (Viet Nam) -  The goal 
of this project is to support policies a nd reforms that promote transparent and 
accountable governance in Viet Nam.  PIAP aims to improve the capacities of key 
Vietnamese government bodies within the Na tional Assembly to guide and enable 
Viet Nam's ongoing socio-economic reform process.  
 
 Legal Reform (Bangladesh) -  The project goal is to contribute to the development of a 
rules-based, effective, transparent, and pred ictable legal framework in Bangladesh and to 
promote access to justice, particularly for the poor.  The project supports the Bangladesh 
Government's Strategy for Legal and J udicial Reforms adopted in 2000, and is 
complementary to a larger Legal and Judicial Capacity Building Project funded by the 
World Bank and Danida (Danish Inte rnational Development Agency).  
 
 Canadian-Caribbean Cooperation Fund (Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, 
Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, 
Montserrat, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago,  Turks and Caicos Islands, Dominica, 
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) - The goal of the Canadian-Caribbean Cooperation 
Fund (CCF) is to advance public sector re form and to contribute to improving the 
environment for business development in th e Caribbean.  The purposes are:  (1) to 
strengthen public sector entities for the eff ective and efficient delivery of services and 
(2) to address bottlenecks to private sector de velopment and business investment.  Public 
Works and Government Services Canada (PWG SC) is the organization responsible for 
managing the CCF on behalf of CIDA.  PWGS C has established a network of local fund 
coordinators, currently based in Guyana , Antigua, and Jamaica, who have been 
contracted to serve local needs, facilitate the application process and monitor local CCF 
initiatives.  The CCF provides technical assist ance in response to initiatives proposed by 
local government ministries, regional organiza tions, business associations or institutions 
such as universities.  These initiatives aim primarily to increase local governments' 
capacities to formulate effective policies, to deliver efficient services, and to enhance the 
climate for business development. 
 
 Democratic Institutions Programme (Ethiopia) - The Democratic Institutions 
Programme is a multi-donor initiative desi gned to support the development of a 
democratic, constitutional federalism in Ethiop ia that is accountable and responsive to 
                                                      
2 More information on CIDA's programmes, are available through the CIDA project browser: 
"http://les.acdi-cida.gc.ca/servlet/JKM SearchController?desTemplateFile =cpoAdvSearchEn.htm&desClient 
Locale=enUS&AppID=cpoEn. " IP/C/W/573 
Page 4  
 
  Ethiopia citizens.  Its purpose is to deepen the democratization process by strengthening 
key state institutions including the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, the Ethiopian 
Human Rights Commission, the Ethiopian Institute of the Ombudsman, the Federal 
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the House of Peoples' Representatives and 
Regional State Councils, and the House of Fe deration.  The Democratic Institutions 
Programme focuses on improving the quality of  legislation, working systems, and 
procedures;  reorganization for institutiona l efficiency and accountability;  awareness 
raising and consensus building; public enga gement, consultations, and reporting both to 
the public and to other state actors; and conflict resolution.  It is managed by the United 
Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 
 
 Municipal Partners for Economic Developm ent Project (Mali, Tanzania, Burkina-
Faso, Bolivia, Cambodia, Nicaragua, and Viet Nam)  - The Federation of Canadian 
Municipalities' (FCM) project aims to enhance sustainable and equitable economic 
growth in selected developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas.  Its specific 
purpose is to support local governments and local government associations (LGAs) in 
these countries to enable them to provide  more effective services that advance 
sustainable and equitable local economic development.  The FCM co-manages the 
project with the seven national LGAs.  Technical assistance is provided to LGAs to 
increase their capacity for policy developm ent and political representation, so that 
national legislation, regulations and polic ies are supportive of an increased local 
government role in economic de velopment.  As well, technical assistance supports their 
efforts to establish training and knowle dge-sharing programmes on sustainable and 
equitable economic development.      
 C. I
NTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMEN T RESEARCH CENTRE (IDRC) 
9. Canada's International Development Resear ch Centre (IDRC), an arm's length crown 
corporation, supports research in developing countri es to promote growth and development.  It does 
so using a "grants-plus" approach that combin es financial support to create new opportunities for 
research, engagement with recipients in the r esearch process, capacity-build ing, and brokering to 
strengthen research-to-policy linkages.  IDRC wo rks with researchers and innovators in the 
developing world, to develop their own ideas, comm unicate their results, and contribute to the larger 
efforts to reduce poverty.  The work of IDRC is part  of Canada's international development assistance 
and is guided by the International Development Research Centre Act .   
 10. Under the Strategic Framewor k 2010-2015, IDRC focuses on 4 thematic areas: agriculture 
and the environment, science and innovation; social  and economic policy; and global health policy. 
Notably, the Information and Networks (I&N)  programme, which falls under the science and 
innovation thematic area, supports research to ensu re that the use of networked technologies has 
positive results, particularly for creative industr ies, governance, learning, and science.  The 
Programme seeks to:  
 promote openness through information-sh aring and collaborative processes;  
 protect the rights of citizens and consumers;  
 encourage the inclusion of marginalized communities in the benefits of networked 
societies;  and 
 broaden the field of research on info rmation networks and development. 
  IP/C/W/573 
 Page 5 
 
 
  11. Recent outcomes of IDRC programmes include:  
 
 Research showing that African countries ha ve not taken advantage of the provisions 
available in the TRIPS agreement such as pate nt pooling, and the research exemption, to 
access patented knowledge for innovation.   
 In Asia, IDRC-funded research pioneered the de velopment of Internet compatible fonts 
for a dozen languages, such as Urdu which is s poken in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.  
This assistance has made the In ternet accessible to tens of millions of people in their 
local language. 
 African researchers are developing inter operable eHealth solutions, utilizing open 
standards and architectures to help countri es implement national health information 
systems.  This work was selected as a vehi cle to test the World Health Organization 
Health Metrics Network Framework in pilot countries. 
 
12. The following IDRC publications are recent ex amples of IDRC's support to research on 
technology use in developing countries:   
 
 Strengthening Rural Livelihoods: The Impa ct of Information and Communication 
Technologies in Asia3  
 Local Governance and ICTs in Africa: Case Studies and Guidelines for Implementation 
and Evaluation4    
 Global Innovation in Emerging Economies5  
 
13. Specifically, IDRC has a number of research programmes that aim to provide technical 
assistance to developed and least deve loped countries, including the following6:   
 
 Pervasive Technologies:  Access to Knowledge (A2K) in the Marketplace (India)  - 
This project explores the interplay between intellectual property and the production and deployment of pervasive networked tec hnologies and seeks to provide a supply-side 
picture of how intellectual property plays a role in the proliferation of access technologies.  The resulting body of research is  expected to shed light on how to better 
promote access to knowledge in Asia, with a view to influencing intellectual property 
laws and practices.  
 
 Ecology of Access to Educational Material in Developing World Universities (focus 
on Brazil, India, South Africa)  - This grant supports a multi-country inquiry into access 
to educational materials in developing count ry universities with a focus on Brazil, India 
and South Africa.  The findings will contribute to a wider inquiry into global market and 
policy dynamics, and to the emerging pos itive agenda on access, copyright and 
enforcement at the international level.  
 
 Strengthening the Knowledge Base for Public Interest Intellectual Property Policy 
(focus on Brazil, India, Russia)  – This project aims to promote a positive agenda for 
global copyright policy in developing countries by supporting an online resource center 
                                                      
3 Available at: 
http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/P ublications/Pages/IDRCBookDe tails.aspx?PublicationID=830  
4 Available at: 
http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/P ublications/Pages/IDRCBookDe tails.aspx?PublicationID=829  
5 Available at: 
http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/P ublications/Pages/IDRCBookDe tails.aspx?PublicationID=796  
6 A list of IDRC's programs can be accessed on the IDRC website : http://idris.idrc.ca/app/Search   IP/C/W/573 
Page 6  
 
  for scholars and advocates, developing a series of working papers, and promoting 
dialogue among researchers and advocates of public interest intellectual property rights.  A major goal of the project is to promote r ecommendations for inte rnational and national 
copyright reform.  
 
 African Innovation Research on Intellectua l Property's Role in Open Development 
(South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria )  - This project aims to analyse the link between 
copyright, patents and trademarks and innovators' access to and production of knowledge-intensive products and services.  Case studies will focus on the energy sector, 
creative industries and agriculture in several African countries.  The project will foster 
capacity building on the part of African IP researchers, uptake of the research results by 
policymakers, and peer networking with researchers in Asia and Latin America.  A 
network of African researchers will be coor dinated by the Intellectual Property Law and 
Policy Research Unit, University of Cape Town, South Africa.  Sub-nodes of collaborating researchers will be located in Northern Africa (Egypt), West and Central 
Africa (Ghana or Nigeria) and East Africa (Kenya).  
 
 Global Administrative Law and Develo ping Countries (Brazil, Colombia) - The 
research network on global administrative law (GAL network) was organized by New 
York University Law School with IDRC s upport to improve the ability of developing 
country scholars, researchers, lawyers, offi cials, nongovernmental organizations and 
businesses to understand and influence importa nt developments in global regulatory 
governance  This grant allowed, inter alia, the Los Andes University Law School Bogota 
(Colombia) to examine how transnational processes have shaped intellectual property 
norms governing access to medicine in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.  
 
 Improving the Integration of Young African Researchers into Research and 
Innovation Systems (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Senegal) -  This project explores 
opportunities available to young researchers in  Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Senegal) to 
work in private institutions and research centers, intellectual property services, norms 
and standards services, nongovernmental organi zations and think tanks.  Contracts with 
associations and entrepreneurs will allow them to define their needs and propose ways of 
inserting young researchers into the business world.  The goal is to turn young 
researchers into productive citizens, useful to their society, internationally competitive 
and aware of their contribution to the development of the continent.  
 
 Confronting New Demands: Inclusive Gr owth, Inclusive Trade (Argentina, 
Colombia) -  This project supported the Latin American Trade Network (LATN) to 
extend and consolidate a regional base of e xpertise for informed policy dialogue on 
economic development.  The research focused  on four themes: linkages between trade 
and inclusive growth; the impact of negotia tions on issues such as labour standards and 
intellectual property; liberalization of trade in services; and the emerging regional trade 
policy architecture.  The projected helped promote a better understanding of the effects of trade liberalization on the sharing of gains and losses between nations, sectors and 
social stratums.  
 
 Accessing Patented Knowledge for Innovat ion (Cameroun, China, Brazil, India, 
Philippines, Botswana, Tanzania) - This project aims to increase access to patented 
technology and information through improved formulation of the research exemption in 
national patent laws, compulsory licensing of patented technology, and the use of patent 
pools and patent clearinghouses to share knowledge.  
  IP/C/W/573 
 Page 7 
 
 
   Fair Access to and Benefit Sharing of  Genetic Resources: National Policy 
Development (China, Jordan, Nepal, Peru) - This project brought together experienced 
research teams from China, Jordan, Nepal and Pe ru with international technical and legal 
experts to work on policies, laws and pr actices for the fair use and management of 
genetic resources.  The project focused on in novations that are grounded in the practices 
of local and indigenous farming communities with the aim of promoting practical 
mechanisms for fair access and sharing of be nefits.  The project helped develop policy 
and legal recommendations on biopiracy, crop improvement, variety release, seed 
production and farmer organization.  
 
 African Copyright and Access to Knowle dge Network (ACA2K) (Egypt, Ghana, 
Senegal, South Africa and Uganda) - This project examined the legal framework in 
Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa and Ug anda to determine wh ether any limitations 
or exceptions allowed by international copyright treaties could be incorporated within 
national legislation to improve access to copy righted materials.  The project helped 
provide policymakers and advocates with evidence in support of a copyright environment that fosters access to knowledge for use in international negotiations.  
 
 Emerging Dynamic Global Economies Network: Global Economic 
Governance Programmes (focus on large emerging economies)  - The Emerging 
Dynamic Global Economies Network (EDGE), hoste d by the University of Ottawa is a 
network of centers of excellence focusing on the large emerging economies of the world 
and their relationship with and effect on Cana da.  This grant will allow EDGE to gain a 
better understanding of devel oping country positions on trade and intellectual property 
rights. It will also help shape Canadian participation in initiatives aimed at making two major international bodies, the World Tr ade Organization (WTO) and the World 
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), more responsive to development issues.  
 
D. HEALTH CANADA (HC) 
14. Health Canada (HC) continues to take opportunities at international venues to inform drug 
regulatory authorities from developing and least developed countries about Canada's Access to 
Medicines Regime (CAMR), which came into effect  in May 2005.  CAMR was established to enable 
Canada to respond to the 30 A ugust 2003 Decision of the WTO on th e Implementation of Paragraph 6 
of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreemen t and Public Health and permit the export of 
lower-cost versions of patented therapeutic produc ts from Canada to developing and least developed 
countries with inadequate or no manufacturing capacity.   
 
E. ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE (RCMP) 
15. Since 2007, the RCMP contributes to International Intellectual Property Crime Training 
Seminars hosted by Interpol each year.  The seminars  have been given to participants from developed 
and least developed countries, facilitating the ex change of best practices and techniques, and 
networking.  This year, the RCMP participated in  Interpol Operational Training Event, Panama, 
February 6-10, 2012 as well as in Operation Maya , an INTERPOL-coordina ted operation aimed at 
Intellectual Property (IP) Crime.  Operation Maya ran from March first to the 15th, 2012 and resulted 
in more than 1,000 interventions by police, custom  officials, investigators and Intellectual Property 
crime experts at key locations on land, sea and air port border control points.  Countries involved in 
Operation Maya included: Belize, Canada, Colombia , Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, 
Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the USA.  
 IP/C/W/573 
Page 8  
 
  16. The RCMP and Health Canada are also ac tive members of the Permanent Forum on 
International Pharmaceutical Crime (PFIPC).  The forum re-groups 15 developed countries and 
members from the private sector, allowing for the exch ange of best practices, information on trends 
and enforcement initiatives and networking.   
 
17. In September 2011, and for the fourth consecu tive year, the PFIPC and Interpol organized 
"Operation Pangea" (an International Week of Action) to raise public awareness of the risks of buying 
medicines on the internet.  81 developed and least  developed countries participated in Operation 
Pangea IV.  It is anticipated that the RCMP will be  involved in Operation Pangea V later in 2012.   
 III. OTHER CANADIAN INSTITUTIONS AND RESOURCES 
18. Other Canadian institutions have also been involved in providing technical assistance to 
developing and least deve loped country Members. 
 19. For example, the Canada-based Centre for Trade Policy and Law (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 ensu re their full participation in 
international trade agreements, including specific training on intellectual property law and policy 
issues.  CTPL offers a Certificate Programme  in Trade Policy and Commercial Diplomacy each 
summer in Ottawa, Canada, that teaches the fundame ntals of international trade agreements, trade 
policy formulation, and trade negotiation skills.  The course includes a two-day module on TRIPS and 
related issues.  The course is attended primarily  by government officials from developing countries 
and countries in transition whose attendance is sponsored by CIDA.  20. Canadian Universities have also been invol ved in technical cooperation initiatives. The 
Association of Universities and Colleges of Cana da (AUCC) has formed a partnership with the 
Association of African Universities (AAU) to stre ngthen higher education st akeholder relations in 
Africa. This CIDA funded project (CAN$2.2 M illion) is called Strengthening Higher Education 
Stakeholders Relations in Africa (SHESRA) and ai ms at reinforcing the capacity of up to 27 African 
universities (Ghana receives 32 per cent of programming)  and aims to develop their strategic plans to 
establish relations and collaborate with industri es and the productive sector in general through 
innovative research and the development of progr ammes that will provide students the skills and 
competencies suited to the industry's needs. African Universi ties are benefiting through the 
development of improved methods and strategic plans, enabling them to better collaborate with 
external partners and to respond to local, na tional and regional economic development priorities
7.  As 
an example of an outcome of this programme, th e University of Saskatchewan's Industry Liaison 
Office has partnered with Ebonyi State Universi ty and Hawassa University to strengthen their 
community and industry linkages and build capacities for a technology transfer office.  Delegates 
from the two African Universities came to Canada  from 13-27August to explore the University of 
Saskatchewan's model of University-Industry/Community Engagement.  
 
__________  
                                                      
7 More details are available on the CIDA website: " http://www.acdi-
cida.gc.ca/cidaweb%5Ccpo.nsf/projEn/S064952001"  or on the AUCC website:   
"http://www.aucc.ca/_pdf/english/program s/africa/guidelines_letters_%20of_intent_for_strategic_planning_part
nerships_e.pdf  "