CIPO’s IP Canada Report Reveals 86,500 Non-Resident Applications

April 30, 2026

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In the annual IP Canada Report published by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), it was revealed that roughly 86,500 patent, trademark and industrial design applications were filed in Canada by non-residents during 2024. A vast majority of these non-resident filings were from residents of the United States.

CIPO received 35,374 patent applications in 2024. During this time, resident filings rose 5% to 4,304 applications. Non-residents filed 31,070 applications, making up approximately 88% of the total. The United States led in filings, with a total of 15,532 applications, making up 44% of patent activity at CIPO.

Trademark applications fell 4% to 68,672 in 2024. Non-residents accounted for 46,835 filings, roughly 68% of the total filings. Canadian filers accounted for 21,837 applications (roughly 32%), while the United States accounted for 17,832 applications (roughly 26%). Over the past decade, total trademark filings rose 35%, with a 58% increase from non-resident filings and a 2% increase in resident filings.

Industrial design applications continued to climb, as 9,167 applications were filed in 2024, which is a 1% increase from 2023. Non-residents accounted for 8,508 filings, representing 93% of total applications filed.

Plant breeders’ rights filings declined 19% to 327 in 2024. The United States had 118 applications, representing 36% of total filings.

In terms of outbound activity, Canadians reportedly filed 20,048 patent applications and 21,051 trademark applications abroad in 2023. Further, industrial design applications abroad surged 30% to 3,365 applications.

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Authors: Tyler Green, 2025/2026 Articling Student-At-Law, Arash Rouhi and Kelly Zhang