The most recent annual IP CANADA REPORT published by the federal Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada sheds some light on trends in trademarks, both within Canada and for Canadian businesses registering their trademarks globally.

Trademark Filings in Canada

Over the last ten years, trademark filings in Canada have grown by 25%.

A small majority of trademark applications filed within Canada come from outside of Canada, with 57% of the total in 2017.

In fact, since 2007, Canadian residents have filed only approximately 43% of all trademark applications filed with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office each year.

The top filers for Canadian trademarks apart from Canadians in 2017 came from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, China and France, in that order.

Global Trademark Filings by Canadians

In 2015, Canadians filed for trademark applications outside of Canada 70% as often as they did domestically, an increase from just 55% in 2006.

China shows the largest growth of any jurisdiction for Canadians to select for filing, growing at an average annual rate of 14% since 1997.

In 2015, the top 3 filing destinations for Canadians were the United States, China, and the European Intellectual Property Office, in that order. In 2015, the rates of filing applications outside of Canada were as follows: United States – 45%; China – 16%; and the EUIPO – 7%.

From 2006 to 2015, applications filed by Canadians within North America grew by 15% over the 10 year period, while applications by Canadians in countries outside of North America have increased by 82%. There is therefore faster growth in applications filed by Canadians in countries outside of North America, which highlights the decisions of many Canadian businesses to expand their international markets.

When adopting filing strategies for trademarks, businesses are well-advised to closely consider the international markets which are most important to them.