Getting around trademark ‘squatters’ and other clutter as the IP system changes

By Graham Honsa ( November 21, 2017, 8:25 AM EST) -- Canada is introducing significant changes to its trademark system, expected in 2019. Hopefully, trademark squatters will not be the only ones celebrating. Some of these changes will liberalize procedures and, initially, businesses can expect their trademarks to register more quickly. However, these changes also come with significant risks. Businesses should prepare to encounter more trade-mark squatters and conflicting trademark applications that could challenge brand clearance strategies....