THE FILING OF THE DECLARATION OF USE REQUIRED

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THE FILING OF THE DECLARATION OF USE REQUIRED BY SUBSECTION 40(2) OF
THE TRADE-MARKS ACT: PART II
Laurent Carrière*
LEGER ROBIC RICHARD, L.L.P.
Lawyers, Patent and Trademark Agents
Centre CDP Capital
1001 Square-Victoria – Bloc E – 8th Floor
Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Z 2B7
Tel. (514) 987 6242 – Fax (514) 845 7874
www.robic.ca – [email protected]
In a previous newsletter, we saw that the prescribed time period for the filing
of the declaration of use under subsection 40(2) of the Trade-marks Act could
be extended.
Standard extension of time
The standard extension of time is six (6) months. However, if the use of the
trade-mark is delayed because the applicant is awaiting a governmental
approval, the extension will be twelve (12) months long.
In the latter case, the Trade-marks Office will require that the name of the
department in question be given but will not necessarily demand a copy of
supporting documents. This policy applies to all governmental approvals (not
only Canadian) required, regardless of the number of wares or services in the
application to which the approval pertains; just one ware or service is
sufficient for obtaining the 12-month extension.
Furthermore, contrary to
popular belief, the governmental approvals in question are not limited to
those concerning pharmaceutical or related products, but include any
governmental approval.
After three years
Requests for extensions of time for filing the declaration of use after the
expiration of three years from the initial deadline are subject to more stringent
conditions. The administrative practice of the Trade-marks Office requires
© CIPS, 1999.
* Of LEGER ROBIC RICHARD, L.L.P., a multidisciplinary firm of lawyers, and patent and
trademark agents. Published in the Spring 1999 issue (Vol. 3, No. 2) issue of our Newsletter.
Publication 068.019E.
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that “considerable and substantive reasons” (or, if one prefers, “raisons
considérables et substantielles”) be given.
Even if initially misunderstood by the staff of the Trade-marks Office, it is now
clear that this requirement of “considerable and substantive reasons” only
applies with respect to requests for extensions made more than three years
after the initial deadline for filing the declaration of use. Once again, if
justified, the extensions will be granted for periods of 6 or 12 months,
depending on the situation.What remains to be seen is what exactly
constitutes “considerable and substantive reasons”. Even if the Trade-marks
Office intends, at least at the beginning, to proceed on a case-by-case basis,
one can already speculate that what would constitute special circumstances
justifying non use in an administrative expungement notice under section 45
of the Act would be acccepted by the Registrar as “considerable and
substantive reasons”. However, these reasons must transcend mere marketing
efforts, such as a quest for business partners.
Finally, it should be noted that when the Trade-marks Office is not satisfied
with the reasons provided in support of the request for extension, a notice of
refusal will be sent, outlining the possibility for the applicant to give better
reasons within a two-month delay. If these better reasons are accepted, the
extension of time will then be of 6 or 12 months, depending on the case, from
the time that the refurbished reasons are submitted. This policy applies
irrespective of whether the request for extension was made within the first
period of three years or subsequently to it.
Summary
Within the 6 months of the notice of allowance or before the 3 years following
the filing of the application: no explanations/reasons/justifications need be
provided;
During the 3 years following the expiration of the 6 months of the notice of
allowance or the 3 years following the filing of the application: circumstances
convincing the Registrar that the extension should be granted must be given;
Once the 3 years following the expiration of the 6 months of the notice of
allowance or the 3 years after the filing of the application have elapsed: the
reasons provided must be significant and substantive.
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