Canada offers protection for ornamental shapes or configurations of industrially reproduced objects. Examples range from the shape of an automobile part to that of a lamp. Protection in Canada for these objects is achieved through the grant of a registration under the Industrial Design Act. Such a registration provides protection for the shape or configuration of the object for a period of up to 10 years.
Osler’s Intellectual Property Department has provided counsel to many companies in this area of the law and has vast experience in identifying and resolving issues around the protection of valuable industrial designs.