By Sepal Bonni

Need to Review Trademark Portfolios Now to Avoid Significant Fee Increase

On January 1, 2024, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (“CIPO”) will increase most of its trademark fees by 25%, in addition to its annual fee adjustment. For many services, including the filing of a new trademark application, this amounts to a 30% increase in fees. For example, the fee to file a new trademark application in one class will be increasing from $347.35 to $458.00 and each additional class in the application from $105.26 to $139.00. The fee to renew a trademark registration in one class will be increasing from $421.02 to $555.00 and each additional class in the registration from $131.58 to $173.00.

The increases come after more than two years of consultation with stakeholders, clients, and the public. To read the final regulations in their entirety, see the Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 157, Number 13. According to CIPO, the goal of the increase is to provide greater revenue to CIPO, which will assist in “supporting Canada's Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy, meeting growing demand, fulfilling trade and treaty obligations, providing internationally comparable services and addressing the critical capacity and technological investments needed to provide improved services to CIPO's clients.”

In anticipation of the upcoming fee increase, charities and not-for-profits need to be proactive in reviewing their trademark portfolios for any filings and renewals that can be done before the end of the year to benefit from the current lower costs. This could result in a significant savings, particularly for most charities and not-for-profits that they have multi-class applications and registrations.

​Read the August 2023 Charity & NFP Law Update