As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the (CIPO), I joined 13 other current and former Heads of IP Offices from around the world to explore the evolution of the IP system and future challenges and opportunities for IP Offices.

Our report identifies the key factors impacting the global IP system, notably the rise of the intangibles economy; the internationalization of the IP system; the speed of technological change and its increasingly interdisciplinary nature; and the growing importance of IP to innovation and trade policies worldwide.

From my perspective as the former CEO of CIPO, it is clear that IP Offices need to grow beyond the traditional role of IP administrators and become partners in their country’s innovation ecosystem. For example, over the past four years, CIPO has stepped out into the marketplace with a very active set of new programs for Canadian business and innovators to help them leverage their IP for export and growth. We did this through our IP Awareness and Education Program and by forming dozens of partnerships with business organizations, incubators, export development and financing agencies, IP Agents and others.

Canada is also now a full player in the global IP system, having implemented international IP treaties for Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Patents. The Government of Canada’s National IP Strategy is another important milestone to help Canada position itself well in an increasingly international IP system. And the recently launched is designed to help Canadian entrepreneurs protect their assets in an innovation economy.

I was struck with the similarities between our report as Heads of IP Offices and the two reports of the IP legal community. Not only did they see similar trends for the IP system, but they also noted the importance for IP practitioners to broaden their perspective beyond the legal and technical underpinnings of IP, and be equipped to provide their clients with broader strategic advice. ��

The of the In-House Practice of the Future Report makes the point, for example, that in-house trademark practice will evolve, and that ‘’the legal scope will expand to include other areas of IP and adjacent legal areas such as marketing and advertising law, digital issues including e-commerce, social media, privacy, and data protection as well as regulatory issues.”

Similarly, will increasingly become business partners to their clients who ‘’can be expected to develop into global players with a need for the global advice, speed, and flexibility on the part of their outside counsel’’.

There are many other interesting insights in these three reports, and I invite the IP Osgoode community to reflect on the implications for the future IP profession in Canada.

Written by Johanne Bélisle, who has recently completed her five-year mandate as CEO of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office in September 2020 and was an active member of the IP Osgoode Advisory Board.

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Like many intellectual property lawyers, I am back in my office recovering from the whirlwind that is the annual meeting of the International Trademark Association.�� Held in Seattle from May 16 to 20, the meeting draws almost 8000 registered attendees from all over the world, plus a large number of other trademark professionals who do not bother registering, but just take advantage of the opportunity to meet with foreign colleagues and network at various firm receptions.

Many corporate lawyers do not understand intellectual property, let alone why IP lawyers need to attend conferences such as the INTA meeting.�� Sure, they can involve travel to some great cities, but it is not as glamorous as it might seem.�� Events go from as early as 8 a.m. to late into the night and the pace can be quite frenetic.�� In addition to catching up with familiar faces, the conference provides an opportunity to meet people you would normally deal with only by e-mail, phone and fax.�� For me, this included meetings with counsel from the United Kingdom, China, El Salvador, Chile, India, the United States, Mexico, and Ireland.��

The meeting is a good opportunity to get up to speed on the latest developments in trademark law, and sessions range from smaller breakfast and lunch "table topic" discussions, to large sessions that attract hundreds of people.�� A particular highlight of this year's conference, at least for many men, was the keynote speech given by supermodel Elle Macpherson, who spoke about her brand.�� Sessions I attended ran the gamut from a lunch talk on taxation issues related to intellectual property, to an industry breakout session on parallel trade and gray market goods in the pharmaceutical industry.

Formal sessions and talks are then followed by a myriad of law firm receptions to attend.�� Given the global nature of IP practice, these types of events are crucial for establishing new, or cementing existing, relationships with foreign professionals.�� Since the conference lasts only four full days, it inevitably happens that there are a number of receptions held at the same time, so you often spend just a brief time at one, before making your way to the next one.�� This year, these included parties put on by firms from Germany, South Africa, Japan, and the United States, among other places.�� The venues ranged from large nightclubs to law firm offices.�� This results in non-stop days that can go from early in the morning to late into the evening.�� The pace is so draining that I was in bed shortly after 11 p.m. a couple of times.

As for Seattle, well I saw a lot of Starbucks coffee shops and the Space Needle a couple of times, but not much else.�� Coming back to the office almost provides some relief from the pace.�� And now I have to start sending my follow-up INTA e-mails to the people I met there...

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