D19-4-3, Copyright, Trademarks and geographical indications

This memorandum outlines and explains the legislation governing the role of the CBSA in dealing with counterfeit protected marks (i.e. Trademarks or geographical indications) or pirated copyright goods.

This memorandum reflects amendments made to the Trademarks Act in respect of applications for the detention of confusingly similar trademark goods that are imported into Canada, and amendments made to the Trademarks Act and Copyright Act, which expanded the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA’s) Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Program in respect of suspected counterfeit trademark, counterfeit geographical indication, and pirated copyright goods that are transiting through Canada. These amendments have been made as part of Canada’s implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

This Memorandum is available in its entirety on the CBSA website.