Intellectual Property in the 21st Century

This report highlights the potential of intellectual property to contribute significantly to Canada’s global competitiveness. The nurturing and optimization of intellectual property require strategic leadership and sound governance. The report looks at Canada’s intellectual property rights within the context of globalization and the digital age. The report reviews the impact of the Internet on patents, trademarks, copyright, and trade secrets. The report has made specific recommendations within this context. For example, ratification of the World Intellectual Property Organization Internet Treaties will bring Canada in line with its major trading partners, while still permitting implementation choices that address legitimate stakeholder concerns. The report also observes that stronger rights are not necessarily more effective in achieving desirable economic outcomes. It recommends that balance sought in establishing the appropriate level of intellectual property rights should not be between creators and users but rather between the incentive to create and the incentive to diffuse.