The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a partnership between the two organisations to work together to increase awareness and use of Intellectual Property by Canadian businesses and innovators doing business, or planning to do business in India.

The CIPO is a Special Operating Agency (SOA) of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). CIPO is responsible for the administration and processing of the greater part of intellectual property in Canada. CIPO’s areas of activity include trademarks, patents, copyright, industrial designs and integrated circuit topographies. Its mandate is to deliver high quality and timely IP services to customers and to increase awareness, knowledge and effective use of IP by Canadians.

The ICCC will host a series of conferences and workshops to encourage Canadian businesses and SMEs to trade with India, and CIPO will participate in the events to raise awareness of the importance of developing, protecting and leveraging IP assets to remain competitive in a global economy.

Mr. Kanwar Dhanjal, President, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), signed the MoU on behalf of the Chamber during a recent trip to Ottawa in late March. Mr. Pradyuman Jhala and Mr. Rakesh Joshi, members of the board of directors, and Mr. Pawan Chankotra, COO, ICCC, accompanied Mr. Dhanjal on this trip. The ICCC delegation also held a series of officials meetings with high-ranking officials of the diplomatic corps and federal ministers and members of parliament.

ICCC board with HE Swarup	ICCC board with Minister Chagger
ICCC board with MP Sahota	ICCC team with MP Saroya

The ICCC board members kicked off the Ottawa visit with a high-powered meeting with India’s High Commissioner to Canada, His Excellency Vikas Swarup. During the meeting, the board members discussed the different ways in which both the Indian High Commission in Ottawa and the ICCC could work together to promote bilateral relations between Canada and India. The High Commissioner promised to provide all necessary support to the different councils of the ICCC across Canada.

HE Vikas Swarup expressed a keen desire to leverage the strengthening relations between Canada and India in the education sector considering that students from India contribute over $3 billion to the Canadian economy. He also said that when it will be signed, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) would be an important bridge builder for businesses in both countries to rapidly expand cooperation.

The ICCC board also met Members of Parliament Bob Saroya and Ruby Sahota. During the meeting with Bob Saroya, the ICCC board mooted the idea of a panel discussion comprising four or five Members of Parliament to talk about issues of relevance to the membership of the Chamber. Such a direct conversation between policy makers and business owners would go a long way in enabling understanding the needs of small business owners. And during the meeting with Ruby Sahota, the board members discussed the direct conversation between policy makers and business owners to understand the needs of the businesses.

During the meeting with Minister Bardish Chagger, the ICCC board discussed the different ways in which it could cooperate with the ministry to promote small business interests in the changing economic outlook in North America. “We discussed the different ways in which we could cooperate with the minister’s endeavour to create more opportunities for small businesses to start promoting manufacturing in Canada and to promote exports to strengthen trade ties with other countries,” Kanwar Dhanjal said.

The board members also discussed the holding of a Hard Hats Tour for ICCC members to Communitech at University of Waterloo and sought the minister’s assistance in facilitating services and developing strategic partnerships relation with Communitech.