World Intellectual Property Day

World Intellectual Property Day History

World Intellectual Property Day highlights the role of the intellectual property rights system in encouraging and supporting creativity and innovation. Recognized by member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the event underscores the significance of protecting intellectual property (IP), which encompasses copyrights, patents, trademarks, and industrial designs. These elements play a critical role in shaping modern societies and economies, facilitating technological advancement and enriching cultural expressions.

The World Intellectual Property Organization established World Intellectual Property Day on April 26th, 2000. For Canadians, this day holds particular importance as it provides an opportunity to appreciate the vast contributions of Canadian innovators and creators on both the local and international scene. Canada is a exemplar of intellectual property protection, with structured laws and regulations ensuring the safeguarding of innovative and creative ideas, thus promoting a vibrant and conducive environment for creativity and invention.

In Canada, World Intellectual Property Day is often marked through educational seminars, workshops, and public awareness campaigns organized by government agencies, private organizations, and educational institutions. These initiatives aim to foster an understanding of IP's impact on daily life, its potential in stimulating economic growth, and its role in promoting societal development. World Intellectual Property Day takes place every year on April 26, affirming Canada’s commitment to fostering creativity, innovation, and intellectual property protection.

Facts about World Intellectual Property Day

• The theme for World Intellectual Property Day in 2025 was Tunning in with the music of innovation and creativity. In 2024 the theme was IP and the SDGs: Building our common future with innovation and creativity.
  In 2023, the theme was Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity.
• Intellectual property holds immense economic value. In fact, in many global companies, the value of IP assets greatly exceeds the value of their physical assets.
• The duration of IP rights can vary dependent on the type. Copyrights generally last for the lifetime of the creator plus 70 years, while patents typically last for 20 years from the date of filing. Trademarks can last indefinitely, provided they are continually used and defended.
• In 2021, CIPO focused on intellectual property in relation to small and medium-sized enterprises, offering online interactive information sessions to help them take advantage of their intellectual property.
• To be granted a patent in Canada, an invention must be new, useful, and non-obvious. Canada is a “first to file” country as opposed to the “first to invent” policy, meaning the first person to file a patent application in respect of an invention will be granted the patent.

In the News and Trending in Canada for World Intellectual Property Day

Top things to do in Canada for this observance

• Explore event ideas and activities for World Intellectual Property Day. The World Intellectual Property Organization offers workshops and programs for participants.
• Learn more about how intellectual property can help a business. Intellectual property can help protect products and services, increase brand visibility, and help eliminate risks to valuable information.
• Explore Museums: Various museums across the country, such as the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, and the Museum of Vancouver, often host exhibits that provide rich opportunities to explore innovation and creativity. And while not explicitly under the banner of Intellectual Property, such exhibits engage the spirit of IP Day by foregrounding the human mind's creative genius.
• Read a book to learn more about Intellectual Property in Canada:
  1) Canadian Intellectual Property Law: Cases and Materials - by Jeremy de Beer
  2) Canadian Intellectual Property Laws for Dummies - by Allen Mendelsohn