WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  IP/C/W/550/Add.6 
26 October 2010 
 
 (10-5575) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects of  
Intellectual Property Rights Original:   English 
 
 
 
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES: 
INFORMATION FROM MEMBERS 
 
CANADA 
 
Addendum  
  The following communication, dated 22 October 2010, is being circulated at the request of 
the delegation of Canada. 
 
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 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.  
2. Canada has undertaken a number of technical cooperation activities at the bilateral, regional 
and multilateral levels.  Canada's  bilateral efforts are mainly focused on the Latin American, 
Caribbean and Asia-Pacific regions.  Canada's regi onal 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.  At the multilateral level, Canada works in close 
collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). 
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), Natural 
Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Royal Canadi an Mounted Police (RCMP).  Other Canadian 
institutions, such as the Centre for Trade Policy a nd Law (CTPL) and Departme nt of Foreign Affairs 
and International Trade (DFAIT), are also involved in international technical cooperation efforts.   
I. CANADIAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE (CIPO) 
4. In both 2009 and 2010, the Canadian Intellectua l Property Office (CIPO) hosted its 12th and 
13th annual CIPO-WIPO Executive Workshops in O ttawa.  For the 2010 Workshop, twelve senior 
officials from Algeria, Dominica, Ecuador, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, Moldova, 
Philippines, Singapore and Tanzania discussed the "Application of Management Techniques in the 
Delivery of Intellectual Property Services" .  The Workshop included presentations on topics such as 
quality, leveraging international re lationships, understanding client need s, the challenges of designing 
a proper national intellectual property policy and the Role of WIPO in the promotion of intellectual IP/C/W/550/Add.6 
Page 2  
 
  property.  For the five-day 2009 Workshop, thirt een senior officials from Ch ina, the Czech Republic, 
Egypt, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Nigeria, Pa kistan, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand 
and Uganda participated.  Overall, the annual works hops provided participants with insight into the 
Canadian intellectual property system and the manage ment techniques used at CIPO, with a view to 
improving the capacity of intellectual property offi cials in developing countries and to provide a 
forum for the exchange of ideas.  Both CIPO and WI PO bore all costs associated with this workshop.   
5. CIPO provides other activities in favour of deve loping and least developed country Members, 
including the following: 
• performing state-of-the-art searches under the WIPO Patent Information Searches for 
developing countries (WPIS) programme; 
 
• providing search and examination reports of pa tent applications for developing countries 
under the WIPO Programme of International C ooperation in the Search and Examination of 
Inventions (ICSEI);  
 
• supplying free copies of Canadian patent doc uments for developing countries, upon request 
from WIPO.  
 
• providing technical assistance in the area of Pate nts to the Antigua and Barbuda Intellectual 
Property and Commerce Office (ABIPCO), in Febr uary 2010, to assist in developing their 
Patent Act and Rules, and to help them to unde rstand the implications of their involvement in 
the WIPO Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).   
 
• providing training to the Belize Intellectual Property Office (BELIPO), in April 2009, on 
practical considerations for the searching and examination of patent  applications, on the 
duties of a PCT Receiving Office,  and on the International Patent Classification system.  The 
Belize Office requested training from CIPO th rough a WIPO programme to assist developing 
countries.  Presentations were also made to the Belize legal community on:  CIPO (an overview);  patents examination;  and on the PCT.  
 
II. CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CIDA) 
6. The APEC-WTO Capacity Building Initiative Ec onomic Integration Programme (APEC-EIP) 
is a Canadian International Development Agency  (CIDA) CAN$9.95 million initiative, implemented 
with the Conference Board of Canada and the Este y Centre for Law and Economics in International 
Trade, aiming to build the capacity of government  agencies and departments in four APEC economies 
in Southeast Asia (Viet Nam, Thailand, Indonesi a and the Philippines) as well as Cambodia and Lao 
PDR.  In Cambodia, APEC-EIP has developed an intellectual property component to enforce 
intellectual property rights and train personnel in the country.  In 2007-2008, with the expert advice of 
APEC-EIP, the Ministry of Commerce drafted the legislation on "Trade Secrets and Undisclosed 
Information" and related sub-decrees and, at th e request of the Secretary of State, APEC-EIP 
developed a training curriculum on the new legislation for members of the Cambodian judiciary.  In 
addition, APEC-EIP has developed - and delivered - a broader training curriculum on trade policy and 
the WTO, in which the course entitled "Introduction  to Trade Policy and the WTO", makes reference 
to the TRIPS Agreement, as part of its review of the scope of WTO sectoral coverage.  The responsibility for the training curriculum is now bei ng transferred to the newly created South East 
Asia Trade Policy Training Network (SEATRANET) , which is receiving institutional support by 
APEC-EIP.  IP/C/W/550/Add.6 
 Page 3 
 
 
  III. INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTRE (IDRC) 
7. For technical cooperation with developing coun tries, Canada's International Development 
Research Centre (IDRC) supports research in developing countries to promote growth and 
development.  It does so using a "grants-plus" a pproach that combines financial support to create new 
opportunities for research, engagement with recipients  in the research process, and brokering that 
helps strengthen research-to-policy linkages.  IDRC  works 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.  IDRC provides techni cal assistance related to research design and 
methodology, communication and evaluation.  The work  of IDRC is part of Canada's international 
assistance and is guided by the International Development Research Centre Act .   
8. Under the Strategic Framework 2010-2015, IDRC focuses on agriculture and the 
environment, science and innovation;  social and ec onomic policy;  and health and health systems.  
Within each focus, programmes define the speci fic development problem and identify the most 
promising approaches to address them.  
9. Recent outcomes of IDRC programmes include:  
• African researchers are developing interoperabl e 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 WHO Health Metrics Network Framework in pilot countries.  
• Research showing that African countries have not  taken advantage of the provisions available 
in the TRIPS agreement such as patent pooling, and the research exemption, to access patented knowledge for innovation.  Such finding s help developing countries strike a balance 
between patent protection and enc ouraging innovation in areas critical to social development.   
 
• Work on the following:  The Future Control of Food
 (http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-118094-201-
1-DO_TOPIC.html ) that clarifies the legal jargon of ne gotiations on the trade-related aspects 
of food;  Access to Knowledge in Africa  (http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-156920-201-1-
DO_TOPIC.html ) analyzes the legal and practical i ssues posed by copyright for access to 
learning materials in Africa;  and, Living the Information Society in 
Asia (http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-137700-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html ) examines policy 
implications as how people interact with information technologies in everyday life.  These 
publications are freely available via http://www.idrc.ca . 
 
10. IDRC's Pan Americas Networking initiative has he lped countries such as Haiti in developing 
capacity for Internet use.  IDRC's Pan Asia Networking initiative h as focussed on Viet Nam, 
Lao PDR, Sri Lanka and Nepal.  In these countries, ID RC assisted in the elaboration of a participatory 
process for formulating the country's information technologies policy.  IDRC also assisted in the 
implementation of the participatory process and the country's information technologies policy.  IDRC 
is funding research projects to support developing countries to better understand the implications of 
intellectual property rules which have an important  impact on access to digital content.  These 
countries should be able to develop policies that foster access to information and knowledge.  IDRC is 
supporting three regional research netw orks in Asia (LIRNE Asia), Latin America (DIRSI) and Africa 
(RIA) actively participating in the policy dial ogue around the contribution of ICTs to economic 
growth and development.  Particularly, these netw orks are assessing developing countries' policies 
and regulatory environment as they relate to the tel ecom sector.  They are also developing indicators 
to inform decision making and investments in IC Ts that could best contribute to sustainable 
development. IP/C/W/550/Add.6 
Page 4  
 
  IV. HEALTH CANADA (HC) 
11. 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 Agreement a nd Public Health and pe rmit the export of lower-
cost versions of patented therapeutic products  from Canada to developing and least developed 
countries with inadequate or no manufacturing capac ity.  As an example, Health Canada provided 
information to drug regulatory authorities from African nations during World Health Organization 
consultations that took place in  December 2006 and June 2007. 
12. In addition, Health Canada contributed to de veloping OECD Guidelines for the Licensing of 
Genetic Inventions, which include guidance on best  practices for governing licensing in genetics to 
address urgent and unmet health needs in developed and developing countries.  More generally, these 
guidelines, which focus on access for public health systems and health researchers, provide a model 
governance mechanism for progressive licensing in hea lth sciences that would benefit health systems 
in developing countries as well as developed countr ies with public health care systems.  Health 
Canada is working to develop approaches to optim ally disseminate, publicize, promote and facilitate 
the uptake of the OECD Guidelines through a ra nge of appropriate ch annels in Canada. 
V. NATURAL RESOURCES CANADA (NRCAN) 
Senegal National Geomatics Plan (2009-2013)
 
 
13. Natural Resources Canada's Earth Scien ces Sector is working with CIDA under a 
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Senegal to partner on a 
CAN$6 million (plus in-kind contributions) "Senegal  National Geomatics Plan".  This project will 
contribute to sustainable management in Senegal a nd the development of rela ted human and technical 
resources.  The Objectives of the Geomatics Plan are to: 
• Develop uniform standards for spatial data.  
• Establish standards for cost-sharing of responsibilities. 
• Expand existing data infrastructure and tec hnologies for data collection to establish a 
topographic data base.  
• Provide training on use and implementation of geomatics technologies.  
• Promote awareness amongst Senegal's privat e sector and operational management on the 
capabilities and applications of geos patial information and models.  
India Landslide Project (2006-2009)  
 
14. In close cooperation with the Indian Geological  Survey, the objective of the India Landslide 
Project was for India and Canada to collaborate on increasing the capacity and knowledge in India to 
help predict and prevent landslides.  This work  involved mitigating risk through the use and 
promotion of Canadian in-situ technology and the processes involved in the monitoring, evaluation 
and assessment of threats.   
15. This cooperation increased the knowledge and capac ity building for Indian landslide experts 
to undertake hazard assessments and the monitoring of landslides to help reduce the risk of losses  IP/C/W/550/Add.6 
 Page 5 
 
 
  associated with possible slope failures.  This Pr oject actively promoted Canadian private sector 
expertise and cooperation in landslide monitoring/mitigation w ith potential clients involved in 
landslide work in India.  Overall, this work he lps reduce the potential loss of life and infrastructure 
resulting from landslide hazards in both India and Canada. 
16. This project operated through a Memorandum of  Understanding between Natural Resources 
Canada (NRCan) and the India Ministry of Mi nes signed on 1 April 2003 and a Project Annex 
between India Ministry of Mines and NRCan signed 19 September 2006. 
17. The joint project included technology transfer  and capacity building of national expertise 
residing in the Geological Survey of India through a series of seminars, short courses, field trips, and 
other activities coordinated and provided by scientis ts from NRCan, academia and the private sector.  
China Hydrocarbon Geosciences Collaboration Project (2004-2012)  
 
18. Several Canadian and Chinese stakeholders  are partnering to significantly advance 
geochemical research.  This is a key area of r esearch because heavy oil a nd unconventional gases are 
the largest sources of fossil fuels in both countries. 
19. Through a comparative study of Chinese and Canadian basins of acidic petroleum, the early 
phases of the Project centered on the development of laboratory analytical protocols for its characterization, as well as development of subs urface mapping techniques to identify petroleum 
traps. 
20. The current phase of the project focuses on geochemical research capacity building for 
unconventional gas resources.  Through personnel ex change and joint workshops, the project is 
utilizing the geoscientific expertise of NRCan (E arth Sciences Sector) and other Canadian and 
Chinese stakeholder to provide mutual sample a nd data access in Canadian and Chinese shallow gas 
and deepwater projects;  develop practical tools for characterizing shallow gas and deepwater gas 
systems;  and improvise methodologies for gas resource assessment and spatial prediction. 
21. Overall, the objective of the "China Hydro carbon Geosciences Collaboration Project" is to:  
• Develop better techniques to define h eavy oil and unconventional gas deposits.  
• Enhance Chinese expertise and capacities in geochemical research.  
• Help Canadian private sector and Chinese i ndustry identify investment opportunities in the 
Canadian oil and gas sector.  
• Create deeper research ties and future opportunities with China.  
NRCan (Canadian Forest Service)  
22. The African Model Forest Initiative (AMFI) was es tablished by the Government of Canada in 
2009 as a follow-up to commitments made at the 20 08 Francophonie Summit in Quebec City.  With a 
budget of CAN$15 million over three years starti ng April 2009, this N RCan Programme supports 
efforts by the International Model Forest Netw ork Secretariat to develop Model Forests in 
francophone nations of the Congo Basin and parts of Mediterranean Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, 
Algeria).  The Programme also promotes rural sustainable development and good governance, 
encourages biodiversity conservation, and helps th ese nations build effective networks with other 
Model Forests around the world. IP/C/W/550/Add.6 
Page 6  
 
  23. Carbon Budget Modelling  – Leading edge modelling to understand and budget carbon flows 
from forests is being shared freely with many deve loping countries. Spanish language translations are 
being made and outreach to a broa der audience is being developed. 
 
24. Global Observation of Forest Cover and La nd Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) – active in Asia, 
Africa and Latin America.  This is multi-year wo rk under UN auspices to bu ild capacity abroad and 
tracks important land cover change.  The GOFC- GOLD Project Office at CFS co-organized the 
International Workshop on Monitoring Forest Carb on Stocks and Fluxes in the Congo Basin, from 
2 to 4 February 2010, Brazzaville, Republic of C ongo, together with its O SFAC regional network and 
several other organizations.  
VI. ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE (RCMP) 
25. Since 2007, the RCMP also 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. 
26. 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.  In J une 2010, and for the third consecutive year, the 
PFIPC and Interpol organized "Operation Pangea" (a n International Week of Action) to raise public 
awareness of the risks of buying medicines on the internet.  More than 45 developed and least 
developed countries committed to participate in Operation Pangea III.  
27. The RCMP and Interpol co-hosted the Interna tional Law Enforcement Intellectual Property 
Crime Conference in Canada in 2007 and 2008.  Each conference brought together over 375 police 
officers, customs personnel and stakeholders fro m over 40 countries (inc luding two LDCs, Angola 
and Liberia) for the purpose of discussing trends , exchanging best practices and networking. 
VII. OTHER CANADIAN INSTITUTIONS AND RESOURCES 
28. Other Canadian institutions have also been involved in providing technical assistance to 
developing and least deve loped country Members. 
29. 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, which continued in 2 008, is attended primarily by government officials 
from developing countries and countries in trans ition whose attendance is sponsored by CIDA. 
30. Lastly, officials from the Department of Forei gn Affairs and International Trade participated 
as speakers in the WTO regional work shop for French speaking African countries:  "L'Atelier régional 
sur certaines questions d'actualité c oncernant la propriété intellectuelle  à l'intention des pays africains 
francophones", held in Tunis, Tunisie, from 13 to 15 October 2009.  The Workshop addressed a 
number of important policy issues under negotiation or  consideration in the field of intellectual  IP/C/W/550/Add.6 
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  property in the WTO, including TRIPS and Public Health, access to genetic resources and protection 
of traditional knowledge, and prot ection of geographical indications.  The aim is to provide 
information and an opportunity for an exchange of  views among countries of the region in order to 
facilitate their effective participation in the ar eas which are subject to ongoing negotiations and 
discussions.  With regard to TRIPS and public  health, the workshop also intends to support 
participating countries in the implementation and use of the TRIPS provisions and flexibilities.  
Canada offered the perspective of a devel oped WTO Member on all subject being discussed. 
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