Startup and video game law, from a Canadian and U.S. perspective


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US Provisional Patents

Weekly, we receive phone calls from prospective clients inquiring about provisional patent applications. While provisional patent applications have a number of benefits, especially for cost-conscious startups and entrepreneurs, we too often encounter misconceptions concerning the protections that a provisional patent application provides. In this blog post we will cover what a provision patent application is,...

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Does your Game need a ‘Fan-Content Policy?’

For most businesses, infringement of copyright is going to result in lost profits. But what about businesses where infringement of their IP could lead to more engagement and sales? The video game industry has this issue. Developers and publishers want to benefit from the free marketing that comes with their users creating and sharing content...

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Importance of a Trademark Search

Our clients spend an immense amount of time building their business, from product development, to names and branding.  In this whirlwind of creation, we often encounter businesses that forgot to see if their product or business name is available for trademark.  This is a problem that also arises with third party creative agencies, who have...

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Expedited Trademark Examinations in Canada

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) recently announced that it will be accepting requests for expedited examination of trademark applications along with other measures to speed up the trademark registration process in Canada. Before the recent announcements, CIPO took approximately 24-30 months to issue an examiner’s report (also called an office action). The new measures...

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