IP/C/W/617/Add.4  
24 October  2016 
(16-5789) Page: 1/9 
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 17 October 2016, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Canada.  
 
_______________  
 
 
1  BRIEF OUTLINE IN TEC HNICAL COOPERATION O VER TH E 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 favou r 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 Memb ers, covering the 2015 -2016 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 World Intellectual Proper ty Organization 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 practices on intellectual proper ty 
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, such as the Centre for Trade Policy and Law (CTPL) and the University of Ottawa are 
also involved in international technical cooperation efforts.  
4.  Details of technical cooperation activities are provided in the A nnex.  
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  IP/C/W/617/Add.4  
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ANNEX1 
TECHNICAL COOPERATIO N ACTIVITIES FROM 1 SEPTEMBER 2015 TO 31 AUGUST 201 6 
Activity  Date  Location  Brief Description  Link to further 
details  
Substantial technical 
assistance to the National 
Institute of Industrial 
Property of  Chile (INAPI), 
including:  
 
(a) Additional STN 
(a chemical formula 
searchable database) 
remote training  
 
 
(b) Workshop on 
Canadian Patent Law 
Examination Training  September  2015 Ottawa  Offered by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) to 
deepen the INAPI 's examination searching knowledge as an 
International Searching Authority (ISA) under the PCT.  INAPI 
officially commenced its operation as an ISA/IPEA on 
22 October  2014: 
(a) provided to eleven INAPI examiners during 3½  days. CIPO 
demonstrated how to  search the different applications, 
arts and topics, using STN as well as approaches to 
searching.  Details on how to draw complex or unique 
structures in different art areas (polymers, veterinary and 
medicinal compositions) were also included.  
(b) two examiner s from INAPI were invited to attend.  Training 
sessions were offered over 8 days by mostly CIPO patent 
examiners as well as instructors from the Outreach 
department, the Patent Appeal Board and a patent agent . 
The training was highly interactive and include d a blend of 
teaching methods : lectures, discussions, exercises, case 
study, videos and demonstrations .  
WIPO Programme of 
International Cooperation 
in the Search and 
Examination of 
Inventions (ICSEI)  Between 
1 September  2015 and 
31 August  2016 2 requests  for 
Madagascar and 
3 requests for 
Djibouti  Providing search and examination reports of patent 
applications .  
Supplying free copies of 
Canadian patent 
documents for 
developing countries  Upon request from 
WIPO     
                                                
1 In English only.    
  IP/C/W/617/Add.4  
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Activity  Date  Location  Brief Description  Link to further 
details  
CIPO collaboration with 
the Trade Facilita tion 
Office (TFO), to offer a 
series of webinars  
 Between 3 and 
24 May 2016 Participants were 
from African and 
Latin American 
countries  Provided to embassies, consulates and businesses from 
developing and emerging countries.  
Topics covered : Basics of IP, H ow to file for patent in Canada, 
How to file for TM in Canada, and Patent application 
mechanisms (PCT, PPH).   
National Legislative 
Development project  Start:  
20 October 2009 
 
Planned completion:  
28 September 2 018 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 Vietnam's legal reform agenda, including : the 
develop ment of laws that are clear and more 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 co ncerns through an integrated work 
programme addressing all points of the legislative 
development process, with attention to legislation that 
supports economic growth and development.  http://www.acdi -
cida.gc.ca/cidaweb/c
po.nsf/searchBasicEn
?readForm  
 
Canadian -Caribbean 
Cooperation Fund  Start 
7 April 2003 
 
End 
31 December 2016 Antigua and 
Barbuda, Anguilla, 
Belize, Grenada, 
Guyana, Jamaica, 
Saint Kitts and 
Nevis, Saint Lucia, 
Montserrat, 
Suriname , 
Dominica, Saint 
Vincent and the 
Grenadines  The goal of the Canadian -Caribbean Cooperation Fund (CCF) is 
to advance public sector reform and to contribute to improving 
the environment for business development in the Caribbean.  
The purpo ses 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 organiza tion responsible for managing 
the CCF on behalf of Global Affairs Canada . 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.  http:// www.acdi -
cida.gc.ca/cidaweb/c
po.nsf/searchBasicEn
?readForm  
   
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Activity  Date  Location  Brief Description  Link to further 
details  
Municipal Partners for 
Economic Development 
Project  Start 
2 August 2010 
 
End 
30 November 2015 Mali, Tanzania, 
Burkina  Faso, 
Bolivia, Cambodia, 
Nicaragua, and 
Vietnam  The Federation of Canadian M unicipalities' (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 development and political representation, so 
that national legislation, regulations and policies are 
supportive of an increased local government role in economic 
development . As well, technical assistance supports their 
efforts to establish tra ining and knowledge -sharing 
programmes on sustainable and equitable economic 
development.  http://www.acdi -
cida.gc.ca/cidaweb/c
po.nsf/searchBasicEn
?readForm  
 
Canadian Trade an d 
Development Facility 
(CTDF)  Established:  
20 June 2014  CTDF provides technical assistance and capacity building to 
developing countries in order to help them negotiate, 
implement, adapt to and benefit from Free Trade Agreements 
(FTAs) and Foreign Invest ment Promotion and Protection 
Agreements (FIPAs) . The CTDF is comprised of three 
components : (1) an Expert Deployment Mechanism (EDM) , 
which is not yet operational but will provide just -in-time 
trade -related technical assistance in response to needs 
expres sed by partner countries related to adapting to an FTA 
or FIPA with Canada ; (2) an alliance with the Trade Facilitation 
Office (TFO) Canada, called the Trading Partners Responsive 
Facility (TPRF), which is fully operational and entails 
small -scale projects  that respond to specific trade promotion 
requests from negotiating partners;  and (3) a commitment to 
consider the development of other sustainable economic 
growth (SEG) projects, if required . The CTDF will be allocated 
up to $25  million  per year . The key focus is on countries with 
which Canada has or is developing trade agreements, and the 
CTDF could be used to help developing countries implement 
the intellectual property aspects of FTAs with Canada.     
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Activity  Date  Location  Brief Description  Link to further 
details  
Global Partnership on 
Open Data for 
Development  
 Start: 
1 January 2015 
 
Planned completion:  
1 February 2017 Global (Latin 
America and the 
Caribbean, Central 
and Eastern 
Europe, Asia, 
Africa)  The goal is to scale innovations that are working, and to 
strengthen coordination among other open data initiatives to 
ensure they benefit people in developing countries . The 
program 's objectives are : to help developing -country 
governments, entrepreneurs, and civil society create and 
implement national and global action plans to harness open 
data for development ; to suppor t developing -country 
governments to plan, execute, and manage national open data 
initiatives ; to increase reuse of open data in developing 
countries by supporting appropriate data standards, 
guidelines, solution -driven applications, and demand -side 
capacit y, helping to bring about social and economic 
innovation ; and to better understand  the relationship between 
open data initiatives and socio -economic development, 
informing the quality and reach of future open data initiatives.  http://idris.idrc.ca/ap
p/Search  
African Institute for 
Mathematical Sciences 
(AIMS):  Start:  
1 January 2013 
 
Planned completion:  
1 January 2018 AIMS centres are 
located in Tanzania, 
South Africa, 
Senegal, Ghana 
and Cameroon.  
 IDRC is impl ementing Canada 's $20  million  contribution to 
expand the network of Institutes for Mathematical Sciences in 
Africa . AIMS provides rigorous mathematics training to 
post-graduate African students . Mathematical sciences are the 
backbone of a modern economy . Solutions to complex 
challenges in health, agriculture, and finance, for example, all 
require advanced mathematical modelling skills . The Initiative 
supports Africa 's top students to enrol in a rigorous 10 -month 
graduate -level course that leads to a master' s degree in 
mathematical science . In 2016, Canada announced an 
additional CA$22.6  million  over 5 years to train African 
mathematical scientists to develop climate change adaptation 
and mitigation solutions through AIMS starting in Rwanda and 
expanding to a ll AIMS centres.  http://idris.idrc.ca/ap
p/Search  
Scaling African 
Technology Start -Ups 
 
 Start:  
3 March 2015  
 
Planned completion:  
1 July 2018 Egypt and 
South  Africa  This project aims to explore whether and how  networked, 
open, and collaborative innovations help technology start -ups 
scale and seize global economic opportunities . An 
interdisciplinary team of African researchers will study the 
economic potential of Africa's emerging collaborative 
innovations in in formal sector digital innovation enterprises, 
community -based businesses, and entrepreneurship  at high 
technology hubs.  http://idris.idrc.ca/ap
p/Search    
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Activity  Date  Location  Brief Description  Link to further 
details  
Pervasive Technologies : 
Access to Knowledge 
(A2K) in the  Marketplace  
 Start:  
18 February 2011 
 
Planned completion:  
22 July 2016 India This project explores the interplay between intellectual 
property and the production and deployment of pervasive 
networked 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.  http://idris.idrc.ca/ap
p/Search  
Copyright and Inno vation 
in the Developing World  
 Start:  
27 February 2015 
 
Planned completion:  
15 May 2017 India, Colombia, 
Brazil, and Chile  This project provides evidence to support governments 
grappling with intellectual property questions as they are key 
for facilitating economic growth and innovation in the digital 
economy . By exploring the difference copyright law makes to 
economic, social, and cultural outcome s, this project will 
inform policies that support innovation and entrepreneurship 
in developing countries . http://idris.idrc.ca/ap
p/Search  
Scoping Study for Cyber 
Policy Capacity Building 
in Developing Countr ies  Start:  
10 April 2015  
 
Planned completion:  
10 April 2016 Global  This scoping project will develop the conceptual background 
needed to achieve well -crafted cyber policies . The goal is to 
foster open, secure, and reliable information systems and 
communic ations infrastructure to support international trade 
and commerce . It is also important that such policies ensure 
sound, intelligent security while protecting free expression and 
innovation . The project team will strive for multifaceted 
discussions of the challenges that exist where security, human 
development, and civil liberties intersect . The funds will be 
used to commission two scoping and background papers, and 
hold a workshop . It is expected to lead to a fuller 
understanding of the cyber policy issues  in the developing 
world . The outcome will be an agenda for action to build 
knowledge and skills in cyber policy development in 
developing countries.  http://idris.idrc.ca/ap
p/Search    
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Activity  Date  Location  Brief Description  Link to further 
details  
Canadian International 
Food Security Research 
Fund (CIFSRF)  Launched in 2009  
 Sub-Saharan Africa, 
South Africa, 
Kenya, Trinidad and 
Tobago, Tanzania, 
Sri Lanka and India  Partnerships between Canadian and developing country 
researchers is one way that IDRC helps support technology 
transfer. CIFSRF, funded by IDRC and Global Affairs Canada, 
supports research in agricultural innovation and fosters 
collaboration between developing -country researchers and 
Canadian experts. Now in its second phase, CIFSRF is building 
on earlier results t o reduce post -harvest losses and 
commercialize livestock vaccines:  
 
 Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), a highly 
contagious respiratory disease of cattle, has serious 
economic and trade consequences for sub -Saharan 
Africa. But there is hope: research ers from Kenya and 
Canada are partnering with vaccine manufacturers, 
government regulators, and pan -African organizations to 
commercialize and mass produce a practical and 
affordable solution.  
 Researchers from South Africa and Canada have 
developed a novel  vaccine that protects livestock from 
five deadly diseases in a single dose. Collaboration with 
regulatory bodies, agricultural ministries, professional 
associations, and vaccine producers will bring this 
much -needed innovation to farming families in South  
Africa, Kenya, and beyond.  
 Researchers from Canada have developed a natural 
compound known as hexanal to delay the ripening of 
mangoes and decrease spoilage. Spraying mangoes with 
hexanal earned farmers up to 15% more by allowing 
them to get more, better quality fruit to market later in 
the season. The researchers are partnering with 
institutions in India and Sri Lanka to further develop and 
commercialize technologies to extend the shelf -life of 
fruit. http://www.idrc.ca/E
N/Documents/CIFSRF
-Call-5-1-
Backgrounder -
ENG.pdf    
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Activity  Date  Location  Brief Description  Link to further 
details  
Collaborative Adaptation 
Research Initiative in 
Africa and Asia (CARIAA)  2014-2019 Africa and Asia  This initiative, funded jointly by IDRC and the UK 's 
Department for International Development,  supports five 
research institutions with a range of regional, scientific and 
socio-economic development expertise to explore the physical, 
social, economic and political dimensions of vulnerability and 
adaptation optio ns in three climate change hotspots.  
 In addition to exploring proactive, longer -term 
approaches to climate change adaptation while 
supporting the management of current risks in 
14 countries across Africa and Central and South Asia, 
researchers working with  Adaptation at Scale in 
Semi-Arid Regions (ASSR), have also held training 
programmes on regional climate modelling, regional 
integrated assessment tools.  
 As part of their large -scale project in the Deltas, 
Vulnerability and Climate Change : Migration and 
Adaptation (DECCMA) program, researchers are 
exploring the potential for stakeholder engagement at 
the technical assistance level in Bangladesh and Ghana.  
Researchers in the Himalayan Adaptation, Water and 
Resilience (HI -Aware) initiative are developing shor t- and 
long-term climate adaptation strategies, resulting in up -scaling 
and out -scaling of institutional and local adaptation 
innovations . Pilot projects have been developed for climate 
resilient agriculture, flood resilient housing, floods, and 
addressing  heat stress.  https://www.idrc.ca/
en/initiative/collabora
tive-adaptation -
research -initiative -
africa -and-asia 
 
International Intellectual 
Property  Crime Training 
Seminars hosted by 
Interpol  Since 2007   The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (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 .  
Permanent Forum on 
International 
Pharmaceutical Crime 
(PFIPC)  Ongoing   The RCMP and Health Canada are also  members of the forum . 
It re-groups 17 developed countries and members from the 
private sector,  allowing for the exchange of best practices, 
information on trends and enforcement initiatives and 
networking.     
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Activity  Date  Location  Brief Description  Link to further 
details  
Operation PANGEA IX  
(International Week of 
Action to raise public 
awareness of the risks of 
buying medicines on the 
internet)  June 2016  The RCM P, Health Canada and the Canada Border Services 
Agency participated  in Operation PANGEA IX organiz ed by the 
PFIPC and Interpol . A total of 103 countries participated which 
saw 400 arrests worldwide and the seizure of US$53 million  
worth of f alsified medici nes and the shut down of 5 ,000 illegal 
online pharmacies.   
Centre for Trade Policy 
and Law – guidance, 
support, knowledge and 
tools   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.   
Open Af rican Innovation 
Research and Training 
(Open A.I.R.) Project  Ongoing  Ottawa  In partnership with the University of Ottawa in Canada, the 
Open A.I.R . Project aims to investigate how intellectual 
property regimes can be harnessed in Africa to facilitate 
innov ation through collaboration – and to make processes 
more participatory, knowledge more accessible, and benefits 
more widely shared . Open A.I.R. has also received funding 
from Canada 's International Development Research Centre 
(IDRC) and a seven -year Partne rship Grant from the Social 
Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to help 
ensure that the Open AIR network further strengthens its 
position and is a sustainable, influential bridge of cooperation 
between the African continent and Canada.  http://www.openair.o
rg.za/open -air-annual 
report -2016 
 
 
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