Refers to the process of transferring full or partial ownership of a piece of work or rights therein.

The date a patent application, including all filing date requirements, is officially received.

The process of crediting the original author or original source of the information through formal citation style.

The process of bringing Intellectual Property into a market where it can be provide social benefit and generate revenue. This includes making, using, selling, offering to sell, marketing, distributing, licensing or otherwise making efforts to benefit from the commercial use of Intellectual Property.

The exclusive right to produce, reproduce, publish or perform an original literary, artistic, dramatic or musical work.

The removal of a trademark from the Register of Trademarks.

An exception set out in the Canadian Copyright Act that allows the use of copyrighted material without permission for research, private study, education, parody, satire, criticism, review, and news reporting. The copying must be fair, and several factors are analyzed by the Courts to determine this. Factors such as the purpose of the dealing, the character of the dealing, the amount of the dealing, alternatives to the dealing, the nature of the work, and the effect of the dealing on the original work.

Violation of someone’s rights through the unauthorized use of a work.

Ownership of a form of creative effort, such as an invention or an artistic work, that can be legally protected through a patent, copyright, trademark, or industrial design.

A new solution to a technical problem which can be protected through patents. For an invention to be patentable, the inventor needs to demonstrate that their invention is new, useful, and not obvious to someone working in the related field.

The process that occurs at the beginning of the patenting process, through the filling out of a confidential document that contains important information relating to your invention. Information such as the names of the inventor(s), the title of the invention, a detailed description of the invention, resources used to create and reproduce the invention, what differentiates and distinguishes the invention, why it is useful, and more.

The Nova Scotia Health Team Member(s) who creates, designs, discovers, invents or authors Intellectual Property.

A confidential description of an invention or creation submitted by the inventors, you can access the Invention Disclosure Form here.

The rights given to persons over the creations of their minds, usually giving the creator an exclusive right over the use of their creation for a certain period of time.

A legal agreement that gives someone permission to use a work, under certain conditions, for certain purpose(s).

The party that is providing intellectual property rights to another party is called the licensor, while the party that is receiving intellectual property rights from another party is called the licensee.

A material transfer agreement is a contract that governs the transfer of materials between two parties. The contract ensures that the provider of the materials is recognized as the legal owner and that the intellectual property of both parties are protected.

A provision within copyright law intended to classify and protect an author’s association with the creative work by preserving the integrity of the work and intent behind the work itself.

A non-disclosure agreement is a legally binding contract that establishes a confidential relationship. The agreement allows parties to share sensitive information and have it protected from disclosure to other parties.

A patent is a government grant that gives the owner the right to keep others from making, using or selling an invention. A Canadian patent applies within Canada for 20 years from the date of filing of a patent application.

A form of corporate action where a company creates a separate division to form a new independent business.

The process of transferring technology held or owned by one person or organization to another person or organization to transform inventions and scientific outcomes into new products and services that benefit society.

Protects the specific and unique combination of letters, words, sounds or designs that distinguishes one company’s goods or services from those of others in the marketplace. This may apply to a business’s names, symbols, logos, sounds and even colours. Trademark registration grants protection under law throughout Canada for 10 years.

The official name which an individual or company conducts business under.

A form of intellectual property, which includes any business information that has commercial value rooted in its secrecy. There is no expiry date for trade secrets and the information will be protected for as long as it remains a secret.