IP/C/W/593/Add.2  
 
25 September 2013  
(13-5139)  Page: 1/7  
Council for Trade-Related Aspects of 
Intellectual Property Rights  Original: English  
 
 TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES: 
INFORMATION FROM MEMBERS 
CANADA  
Addendum 
The following communication, dated 20 September 2013, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Canada.  
_______________ 
 
 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 in favour of developing and 
least developed country Members, covering the 2012-2013 period. Canada's 2012 report covering the 2011-2012 period was issued on 23 July 2012 (IP/C/W/573). 
2.  Canada has undertaken a number of technical cooperation activities at the multilateral, 
plurilateral and bilateral levels. At the multilateral level, Canada 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 contributions to the World Bank, 
the Inter-American Development Bank, the African Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank, as well as the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Examples of Canada's 
regional activities include the work undertaken in the context of the Asia-Pacific Economic 
Cooperation Intellectual Property Rights Expert's Group (APEC-IPEG), where Canada participates in 
the organization's biannual deliberations aime d at sharing information and best practices 
on intellectual property rights. Canada'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, which are mainly administered 
by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and 
Development (DFATD, incorporating the former Canadian International Development Agency)
1, 
the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Health Canada (HC) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Other Canadian institutions, such as the Centre for 
Trade Policy and Law (CTPL) are also involved in international technical cooperation efforts. 
                                               
1 On June 26 2013, the former Canadian Internatio nal Development Agency (CIDA) was merged with 
the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Tr ade to create the Department of Foreign Affairs, 
Trade and Development (DFATD). Certai n references to CIDA remain in th is text and the two organization 
titles should be considered interchang eable for the purposes of this report. IP/C/W/593/Add.2 
 
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  1  MULTILATERAL CONTRIBUTIONS 
4.  Regarding the process of priority needs assessment from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), 
and in addition to the programmes listed in Cana da's 2012 report, Canada has made contributions 
to two multilateral assistance funds. Canada has contributed 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 contributing CAN$2.5M for the period 2009-2010 through 2013-2014. 
1.1  PROGRAMMEMES BY DEPARTMENT, AGENCY OR ORGANIZATION  
1.1.1  Canadian Intellectua l Property Office (CIPO)
2 
5.  CIPO's Workshop on "the Application of Mana gement Techniques in the Delivery of Intellectual 
Property Services" was held from 3 June to 7 June 2013. The Workshop is part 
of the WIPO Professional Development Programme aimed at providing general and specialized 
training to senior IP executives in developing and least developed countries. The WIPO/CIPO Workshop is open to nationals from the following Regions: Latin America; 
Caribbean Region; Asia-Pacific; the Middle East; Africa; and Eastern Europe. 
Twelve Senior Officials from Cambodia, the Phi lippines, Viet Nam, Indonesia, China, Ghana, 
Zimbabwe, Zambia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Serbia participated in the 5-day Workshop. 
The Workshop included presentations on topics such as quality management, leveraging 
international relationships, understanding client needs, the challenges of designing a proper national intellectual property policy and the history of WIPO and its challenges. Furthermore, the Workshop also 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 officials in developing countries. Both CIPO and WIPO bear all costs associated with this workshop. 
6.  CIPO and WIPO co-organized a Sub-Regional Seminar on the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) 
for Caribbean countries. The training took place in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, from 7 to 9 August 2013 and representatives from eight countries were in attendance. 
The three-day session covered all aspects of the PC T process. All costs were covered by WIPO and 
CIPO. In addition, CIPO has committed to providin g advanced training on the PCT to the office 
of Trinidad and Tobago, and CIPO will be provid ing training as a PCT International Authority to 
the office of Chile. 
7.  CIPO provides other activities in favour of developing and least developed country Members, 
including the following: 
 Performing state-of-the-art searches under the WIPO Patent Information Searches for 
developing countries; 
 Providing search and examination reports of patent applications under the 
WIPO Programme of International Cooperation in the Search and Examination 
of Inventions (ICSEI). CIPO performed 3 requests in 2013; and 
 Supplying free copies of Canadian patent documents for developing countries, upon 
request from WIPO. 
                                               
2 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/593/Add.2 
 
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  1.1.2  Department of Foreign Affa irs, Trade and Development (DFATD) 
8.  DFATD's development branch deals with 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, enabling 
Canada's effort to realize its development object ives. DFATD is responsible for various technical 
cooperation and financial cooperation programmes wi th developing countries which seek to provide 
support to legislation reform. Such programmes include
3: 
 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 internally and with other legislation; and more effective public participation in the law-making process. The project addresses these 
concerns through an integrated work programme  addressing all points of the legislative 
development process, with attention to legislation that supports economic growth and development.  
 Policy Implementation Assistance Proj ect (PIAP) - Phase III (Viet Nam) -  The goal 
of this project is to support policies and reforms that promote transparent and accountable governance in Viet Nam. PIAP aims to improve the capacities of key Vietnamese government bodies within the National Assembly to guide and enable Viet Nam's ongoing socio-economic 
reform process.  
 Canadian-Caribbean Cooperation Fund (A ntigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Barbados, 
Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Ki tts 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 reform and to contribu te to improving the environment for business 
development in the Caribbean. The purposes are: (1) to strengthen public sector entities for 
the effective and efficient delivery of services and (2) to address bottlenecks to private sector development and business investment. Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is the organization responsible for managing the CCF on behalf of DFATD. 
PWGSC 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 assistance 
in response to initiatives proposed by local government ministries, regional organizations, 
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 designed to support the development of a democratic, constitutional federalism in Ethiopia that is accountable and responsive to Ethiopian 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 Federation. The Democratic Institutions Programme focuses on improving the quality of legislation, working systems, and procedures; reorganization for institutional 
efficiency and accountability; awareness-raising and consensus building; public engagement, 
consultations, and reporting both to the pu blic and to other state actors; and conflict 
resolution. It is managed by the United  Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 
                                               
3 More information on DFATD's programmes are available through the DFATD project browser: 
"http://les.acdi-cida.gc.ca/servlet/JKMSearchController?desTemplateFile=cpoAdvSearchEn.htm&des 
ClientLocale=enUS&AppID=cpoEn ". IP/C/W/593/Add.2 
 
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   Municipal Partners for Economic Development 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 de velopment. The FCM co-manages the project 
with the seven national LGAs. Technical assistance is provided to LGAs to increase their 
capacity for policy development and political re presentation, so that national legislation, 
regulations and policies are supportive of an increased local government role in economic development. As well, technical assistance supp orts their efforts to establish training and 
knowledge-sharing programmes on sustainable and equitable economic development. 
1.1.3  International developm ent research centre (IDRC) 
9.  Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC), an arm's length crown 
corporation, supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development. 
It does so using a "grants-plus" approach that combines financial support to create new opportunities for research, engagement with recipients in the research process, capacity-building, 
and brokering to strengthen research-to-policy linkages. IDRC works with researchers and 
innovators in the developing world, to develop their own ideas, communicate 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 Framework 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 en sure that the use of networked technologies has 
positive results, particularly for creative industries, governance, learning, and science. 
The Programme seeks to: 
 promote openness through information-sharing 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.  
11.  Recent outcomes of IDRC programmes include: 
 Research showing that African countries have not taken advantage of the provisions 
available in the TRIPS Agreement such as pa tent pooling, and the research exemption, 
to access patented knowledge for innovation. 
 In Asia, IDRC-funded research pioneered the development of Internet compatible fonts 
for a dozen languages, such as Urdu which is spoken in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. This assistance has made the Internet accessible to tens of millions of people in their local language. 
 African researchers are developing interoperable eHealth solutions, utilizing open 
standards and architectures to help countries implement national health information systems. This work was selected as a vehicle to test the World Health Organization 
Health Metrics Network Framework in pilot countries. IP/C/W/593/Add.2 
 
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  12.  The following IDRC publications are examples of IDRC's support to research on technology use 
in developing countries: 
 Strengthening Rural Livelihoods: The Impact of Information and Communication 
Technologies in Asia.4 
 Pathways out of Poverty: Innovating with the BoP in Southeast Asia.5 
 Local Governance and ICTs in Africa: Case Studies and Guidelines for Implementation 
and Evaluation.6 
 Global Innovation in Emerging Economies.7 
13.  Specifically, IDRC has a number of research programmes that aim to provide technical 
assistance to developed and least developed countries, including the following8: 
 Pervasive Technologies: Access to Knowledge (A2K) in the Marketplace 
(India)  - This project explores the interpla y between intellectual property and the 
production and deployment of pervasive netw orked technologies 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. 
 Open Business Models: New Compensati on Mechanisms for Creativity and 
Inclusion (focus on Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica) - This research aims to explore 
important new business models in the networked society, their implications for the rights of consumers and creators, and their role in increasing inclusion and cultural diversity. It will 
also examine how the "click economy" (esp ecially online ad-based models that use 
micropayments) and the "sharing economy" (peer-t o-peer distribution of digital content) are 
transforming the developing regions of the world. 
 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 country 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 positive agenda  on access, copyright and enforcement at the 
international level. 
 Strengthening the Knowledge Base for Pub lic Interest Intellect ual 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 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 recommendations for international 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 
                                               
4 Available at: 
http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/Publications/Pages/IDRCBookDetails.aspx?PublicationID=830 . 
5 Available at: 
http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/Publications/P ages/NonIDRCBookDetails.aspx?PublicationID=1129 . 
6 Available at: 
http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/Publications/Pages/IDRCBookDetails.aspx?PublicationID=829 . 
7 Available at: 
http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/Publications/Pages/IDRCBookDetails.aspx?PublicationID=796 . 
8 A list of IDRC's programmes can be accessed on the IDRC website: http://idris.idrc.ca/app/Search . IP/C/W/593/Add.2 
 
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  capacity building on the part of African IP re searchers, uptake of the research results by 
policymakers, and peer networking with researchers in Asia and Latin America. A network of African researchers will be coordinated 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 Developing Countries (Brazil, Colombia) - 
The research network on global administrative law (GAL network) was organized by 
New York University Law School with IDRC support to improve the ability of developing country scholars, researchers, lawyers, officials, non-governmental organizations and businesses to understand and influence important 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 Af rican 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, inte llectual property services, norms and standards 
services, non-governmental organizations 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
. 
1.1.4  Health Canada 
14.  Health Canada 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 30/08/2003 Decision of  the WTO on the 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 products from Canada to developing and 
least developed countries with inadequate or no manufacturing capacity.  
1.1.5  Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) 15.  Since 2007, the RCMP has contributed to International Intellectual Property Crime Training 
Seminars hosted by INTERPOL. The seminars have been given to participants from developed and 
least developed countries, facilitating the exchange of best practices and techniques, and 
networking. The RCMP also participated in the INTERPOL-led Operation Maya in 2012, 
an international Intellectual Property Crime operation involving 11 countries in North and 
Central America. 
16.  The RCMP and Health Canada are also 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 exchange of best practices, information on trends and 
enforcement initiatives and networking.  
17.  In June 2013, and for the sixth year in a row, 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. 100 developed and least developed countries participated in 
Operation Pangea VI from June 18 to 25, 2013. IP/C/W/593/Add.2 
 
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  2  OTHER CANADIAN INST ITUTIONS AND RESOURCES 
18.  Other Canadian institutions have also been involved in providing technical assistance to 
developing and least developed 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 ensure 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 fundamentals 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 involved in technical cooperation initiatives. 
The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) has formed a partnership with 
the Association of African Universities (AAU) to strengthen higher education stakeholder relations in Africa. This CIDA funded project (CAN$2.2 million) is called Strengthening Higher Education 
S t a k e h o l d e r s  R e l a t i o n s  i n  A f r i c a  ( S H E S R A )  a n d  a i m s  a t  r e i n f o r c i n g  t h e  c a p a c i t y  o f  u p  t o  
27 African universities (Ghana receives 32% of programming) and aims to develop their strategic plans to establish relations and collaborate with industries and the productive sector in general through innovative research and the development of programmes that will provide students 
the skills and competencies suited to the indust ry's needs. African Universities are benefiting 
through the development of improved method s and strategic plans, enabling them to 
better collaborate with external partners and to respond to local, national and regional economic 
development priorities
9. 
_________  
 
                                               
9 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/programmes/africa/gui delines_letters_%20of_intent_for_strategic_planning
_partnerships_e.pdf ".