Recent reports in Canadian and Chinese patent-practice circles have claimed that the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) formally launched a no-fee fast-track route for critical technologies and issued final Track 1 rules in early July. CIPO’s current official materials do not support that claim. Both initiatives are still described as proposals: Track 1 would be a paid ultra-accelerated examination service, while the critical-technology route would offer acceleration without an additional official fee for eligible technologies identified by government policy.
Practitioners should not treat the close of consultation as an effective date. Track 1 still requires fee-related regulatory amendments and approval, and CIPO has indicated that both initiatives depend on further process and IT changes, with implementation expected no earlier than 2027. Until a formal notice and operative procedures are published, applicants should continue to rely on existing acceleration routes, including the PPH, green-technology requests and special-order examination where available.
