U.S. Chamber raises Canada's IP score after court revocation of 'utility doctrine'

Canada’s score in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s annual intellectual property index “increased substantially” after its supreme court struck down the controversial “utility doctrine,” lowering the standard a pharmaceutical company must meet to secure a patent. The Chamber’s Global Intellectual Property Center released the index on Feb. 8. Canada’s utility doctrine has long irritated U.S. pharmaceutical companies, which have claimed the doctrine made it overly burdensome for companies to receive patents. On the basis of the doctrine, Canadian federal courts...