In his Report tabled today in the House of Commons, the Auditor General of Canada, Denis Desautels, expresses concern about Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's management of intellectual property. He says that without improvements, the agriculture industry might lose access to valuable discoveries. With rapid change in the marketplace, including advances in biotechnology, it is crucial that the Department maintain its access to patents in order to keep the Canadian food industry internationally competitive.
Intellectual property is information that is useful and transferable and controlled by someone.
It includes inventions, some of which are controlled through patents. The Report notes that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada owns important intellectual property. The department also makes significant use of intellectual property owned by others in its research projects. The Auditor General says that there is a need for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and its partners to answer fundamental questions about how and when it is going to protect its own intellectual property and in what situations it will acquire outside intellectual property. In addition, the Report says that the Research Branch needs a framework to guide its employees when they make decisions on intellectual property.