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Ontario|Intellectual PropertyPatents 301 Obtaining a Patent in a foreign country A Canadian patent does not protect your rights in foreign markets. To protect your rights as the inventor in other countries where your invention will be marketed, you should apply for a patent in those countries.
You can apply for a foreign patent either within Canada through the Canadian Patent Office by filing an international patent application, or you can apply directly to the patent office of the country concerned.
The patent rules in foreign countries may be different from the rules in Canada. For example, in many countries you will not be able to obtain a patent for an invention that has been disclosed to the public before the filing date of your patent application. This means that you must not, for example, sell, advertise, display, or publish your invention until you have filed an application for a patent. Because the rules are sometimes different in foreign countries and because it can be very complicated to apply for a foreign patent, you should contact a patent lawyer or a registered patent agent to help you patent your invention in foreign countries.
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