Nearly 74 percent of Canadian inventions were filed in the United States, while 56 percent were filed in Canada and 25 percent with the European Patent Office (EPO). Most inventions (52 percent) are filed in only one location. In addition, patents grant domestic market monopolies and fewer Canadian inventors are filing in Canada (about 12 percent of applications filed in Canada are Canadian inventions). The findings suggest that the incentives driving Canadian innovation are more international than domestic and that Canada’s relatively selective approval rate (~ 40 percent of filings receive approval) ensures high novelty of inventions and is preferable to a less selective IP regime (such as that in the US).
For more information about Canadian IP policy, see Curing Canada’s Innovation Ills and Where Do Canadians Patent? Implications for Canada’s Optimal Patent Regime.
