The Code of Professional Conduct was established by the Minister under s. 33(1) of the Act. It was developed before CPATA was operational, following consultations with the profession and significant input by the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada. The Code draws significantly from the Model Code of Professional Conduct developed by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada.
This recognizes that Patent and Trademark Agents provide specialized legal services in the area of intellectual property; that it is crucial that the ethical obligations of all legal service providers be identical; and, where there are differences for Patent and Trademark Agents, the reason for those differences is clearly articulated.
The College will be establishing a plan to review the Code and ensure it remains modern, relevant, and keeps abreast of the College’s work and changes in the IP professions.