If you're an entrepreneur, you know that protecting your intellectual property should be high on your list when it comes to safeguarding your company. However, as a successful business owner, you also know the steps and costs of filing a trademark in the CA can be expensive and arduous.
This conundrum can be even more overwhelming for new business owners who want to do everything possible to minimize the price of securing trademarks. They try to handle complicated tasks like trademark registration on their own, which can be a big mistake - especially when juggling the day-to-day tasks of running a business. You may be thinking, "But what about those set-it-and-forget-it services you can find online? All you have to do is plug in your info, and you're done." Using pre-made templates for trademark filing can be tempting, but doing so can leave you with inadequate protection and hurt you in the long run.
So, what is the easiest, most cost-effective route to consider that also minimizes legal risk? The truth is, before you spend money on an online filing service, it's best to consult with a trademark attorney working with clients in Ottawa, Ontario.
At Sausser Summers, PC, our experienced trademark attorneys can help you understand the trademark process step by step. We can even help with CA trademark filing, CA trademark responses, and CA trademark renewals at a price you can actually afford. That way, you can make an informed decision regarding your business without having to break the bank.
Hiring an attorney can be a daunting task, but at Sausser Summers, PC, our goal is to make the process as simple and seamless as possible for you. That's why we offer a straightforward checkout service. First, you choose your flat fee trademark service and fill out a short questionnaire. Then, we will contact you within 24 hours to discuss the details of our service. From there, one of our experienced trademark attorneys will get to work on your behalf.
Using a trademark attorney for filing in Ottawa, Ontario, can significantly increase your chances of a successful registration. The CA government recommends hiring a trademark attorney to help with your application, and our team of trademark lawyers is dedicated to meeting your needs. In fact, we help ensure your application is filed correctly the first time so you can get on with your life and avoid legal risks.
At Sausser Summers, PC, we work closely with our clients to understand their needs and provide them with sound professional advice. We never offer incomplete services, such as simply filing for registration, because that would leave you open to legal risks. You can rely on us to handle your intellectual property matters, and our flat fee services can help protect your business in a simple, straightforward, and affordable way. It's really that simple.
In terms of filing a CA trademark, we provide an easy three-step process to protect your intellectual property:
1. You provide your trademark info to our team via an online form.
2. Our team performs a comprehensive trademark search. This search ensures that no other marks will prevent you from registering your trademark in the CA Once performed, we'll send you a legal opinion letter that details our findings.
3. Sausser Summers, PC, files your CA trademark application. We are then listed as your Attorney of Record on file. From there, we'll provide ongoing updates regarding the status of your trademark as it works through the registration process.
The bottom line? At Sausser Summers, PC, we give both new and seasoned business owners an easy, efficient, cost-effective way to protect the one asset that sets them apart from others: their name.
At Sausser Summers, PC, we give both new and seasoned business owners an easy, efficient, cost-effective way to protect the one asset that sets them apart from others: their name.
It's not necessary to be a lawyer in order to apply for a trademark. Anyone can submit a trademark application to the CA Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). However, registering a trademark involves more than just filling out a form. It's essential to conduct thorough research, accurately identify and clearly explain your trademark to ensure it receives adequate protection. And even after securing a trademark, you've got to monitor it consistently to make sure it's free from infringement.
The big takeaway here is that it's always a good idea to work with a trademark attorney to protect the intellectual property that you've worked so hard to establish. According to the Wall Street Journal, applicants are approximately 50% more likely to secure their trademark than people who file applications on their own. If your trademark application is rejected by the USPTO, you will need to revise and refile it, incurring additional filing fees. To avoid delays and extra costs, it is best to have a trademark lawyer help you get it right the first time.
Great trademark attorneys (like those you'll find at Sausser Summers, PC) will help with every step of filing and enforcing your trademark. Some additional benefits include the following:
Check to see if your proposed trademark is registered by another entity.
Conduct research to see if another business is using the trademark for which you're applying.
Provide advice and guidance on the strength of your trademark.
Draft and submit your trademark applications and application revisions.
Advice and guidance regarding trademark maintenance and protection.
Monitor the market for unauthorized use of your trademark.
Trademark enforcement to protect you against infringement.
Curious whether our trademark attorney services are right for you and your business? Contact Sausser Summer, PC, today. Let's talk about what you need, and how we can help.
Online services, can provide you with basic assistance in filing your trademark. However, they will never be a legitimate substitute for an experienced trademark attorney helping clients in Ottawa, Ontario.
Although online filing services offer a step-by-step process, they take a one-size-fits-all approach to preparing legal documents. Even their advanced service only provides basic attorney assistance in completing your paperwork and helping with minor roadblocks. Online filing services' disclaimer highlights the many limitations of its services, including the fact that communications are not protected by attorney-client privilege. In addition, online filing services cannot provide advice, explanations, opinions, recommendations, or any kind of legal guidance on possible legal rights, remedies, defenses, options, selection of forms or strategies.
In other words, online filing services can offer you the necessary forms and point you in the right direction, but they cannot customize their services to your specific needs or help you with serious complications that may arise.
For the most comprehensive trademark service and protection, it's always wise to work with highly rated trademark lawyers, like you'll find at Sausser Summers, PC.
Trademarks in the CA can last indefinitely, but did you know that clients in Ottawa, Ontario can file a trademark online, only to lose protection in some circumstances? Trademarks differ from patents and copyrights in that they do not have an expiration date. However, to prevent the cancellation of a trademark, you must maintain it. To ensure that your trademark remains protected, you must actively use it in commerce and renew it with the USPTO every ten years.
The Lanham Act tells us that "use in commerce" is the legitimate use of a trademark in the ordinary course of trade. In other words, you cannot register a trademark solely to reserve the rights to it in the future. In most cases, a trademark must be used continuously in connection with the goods or services it is registered for.
Trademarks are registered with the USPTO and generally need to be renewed every ten years. However, there is one crucial exception that you should be aware of. Within the first ten years of owning a trademark, you must file for renewal between the fifth and sixth year from the date of your initial registration.
During this renewal period, you are required to submit a Section 8 declaration, a specimen that shows how the mark is being used, and pay the required fee. You can also apply for Section 15 Incontestability status, which can strengthen your trademark rights. This application, although not mandatory, can make it harder for others to challenge your ownership of the mark.
After the first renewal, which falls between the fifth and sixth year of ownership, the next renewal filing is due between the ninth and tenth year, and then every tenth year thereafter. In the ninth year you will need to file a Section 8 declaration, attesting to your use of the mark or excusable nonuse. You've also got to file a Section 9 renewal application before the end of the tenth year to keep your registration active.
It is worth noting that the USPTO provides a six-month grace period if you fail to renew your mark within the required time frame, but it is best not to rely on it. If you don't file within the grace period time limits, the USPTO will cancel and expire your mark.
By hiring trademark attorneys helping clients in Ottawa, Ontario, you can avoid the pitfalls and mistakes that can arise and cause you to lose your rights to the mark that represents it.
In the event that you stop using your trademark and have no plans to resume using it in commerce, it may be considered abandoned by the USPTO. This could result in the loss of your protective rights to the mark. Typically, a trademark is assumed to be abandoned if it has not been used for three years. However, you may be able to refute this presumption by providing evidence that you intend to use the mark again in the future.
In addition to trademark abandonment, you should also be wary of improper licensing. It's important to remember that once you allow someone else to use your trademark, you must keep an eye on how they use it. You should monitor the products or services that feature your trademark to ensure that they meet consumers' expectations in terms of quality. Failure to do so can lead to a "naked" trademark license and the loss of your protective trademark rights.
If you're wondering how you can avoid refiling your trademark, the answer is simple: file it correctly the first time around. Filing a trademark isn't inherently difficult, but when doing so, it's very important that certain aspects are filled out accurately in your application. If any information is missing or incorrect, the trademark application may be considered "void ab initio" or void from the beginning, requiring you to file again.
To avoid this, make sure that the information you provide in the application is accurate and complete, including the ownership of the trademark. For instance, if a corporation has multiple shareholders, it should not file under the President's personal name. The rightful owner should be the one/entity that ultimately controls the trademark and the associated goods/services.
It is also important to ensure that the goods and/or services description is precise. For example, if you sell electronic products, you should not file for research and development services despite having a research and development department. The goods/services description should reflect the goods/services you offer to customers, not the departments within your business.
Additionally, providing accurate dates of first use when filing for a trademark is crucial. The USPTO requires two dates to be specified - the date of first use anywhere and the date of first use in interstate commerce. Contact our trademark law office today to learn more about having accurate dates on your filing paperwork.
At Sausser Summers, PC, we often get questions about how to distinguish run-of-the-mill consultants and others from great trademark attorneys. After all - when you're looking for an attorney to file or prosecute your business trademark, you should know their qualifications. Here are three ways you can separate the proverbial wheat from the chaff when it comes to trademark attorneys.
It's crucial to seek legal advice from a licensed trademark lawyer rather than relying on advice from non-professionals like trademark consultants. The USPTO even recommends hiring an attorney to help with the trademark process. Although trademark consultants may provide advice on trademark availability or name marketability, they cannot file the trademark for you or offer legal advice. According to the Rules of Practicing in trademark cases, "Individuals who are not attorneys are not recognized to practice before the Office in trademark matters." This rule applies to individuals who assist trademark applicants.
When searching for a trademark attorney, it's important to find someone with a strong background in trademark law. Look for an attorney who specializes in this area and has significant experience handling trademark-related cases. Avoid lawyers who don't have expertise in this field, as they may not be able to provide the guidance and support you need.
Ensure your attorney provides updates throughout the trademark registration process to avoid missing deadlines, including responding to any Office actions within six months. Failure to do so can result in trademark abandonment. The USPTO will only correspond with the listed attorney of record, so make sure your attorney keeps you informed.
In summary:
Building your brand and gaining recognition for it is a significant achievement, and it's important to protect it. However, there are certain pitfalls and mistakes that can arise, causing you to lose your rights to the mark that represents it. By working with knowledgeable trademark attorneys, you can avoid these issues and file your trademark successfully.
With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Sausser Summers, PC, offers comprehensive guidance, strategic advice, and reliable representation for a variety of trademark matters. Our attorneys have years of real-world experience and, having registered countless trademarks with the USPTO, provide our clients with individualized representation when they need it most.
If you're looking for skilled, adept, and experienced counsel, look no further than our trademark law firm. Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation and learn how we can help you safeguard your brand.
The Ottawa Senators are growing restless as they await the start of their season on Saturday night in Toronto.But at least the weeklong break between the end of their training camp and the beginning of a new campaign gave the organization time to name a new captain — and the choice was a popular one in the room.“I mean, for me personally, it was Chabby all the way. I would have taken him any day of the week, so I'm just super happy that they made that decision, and I would have told them the same thing,” said ...
The Ottawa Senators are growing restless as they await the start of their season on Saturday night in Toronto.
But at least the weeklong break between the end of their training camp and the beginning of a new campaign gave the organization time to name a new captain — and the choice was a popular one in the room.
“I mean, for me personally, it was Chabby all the way. I would have taken him any day of the week, so I'm just super happy that they made that decision, and I would have told them the same thing,” said Tim Stützle on Wednesday after practice.
“Chabby's been through it all here. He went through a lot of hard times here, and he always stayed here. And he was always the best. He's never in a bad mood, and always brings his energy. Plays through so many injuries. Never lets down his teammates. So if there's one guy who deserves it, it's definitely him.”
Chabot, who hosts team dinners. The one with a smile on his face every time the Sens score. The ultimate competitor, who played through a broken arm last year to help the Senators sneak into the playoffs. The one who meets the media in both languages, time after time, win or lose.
The “easy choice” for captain, as Travis Green put it during Tuesday’s press conference.
“Yeah, it’s awesome, I’ve played with Chabby for a long time now, I know how much of a leader he is in this room, so, he’s doing to do a great job,” said Drake Batherson.
“He’s a guy that, you name it, he organizes things, organizes dinners, he’s loud in the room, jokes with everyone every day, he’s always in a good mood, a guy like that’s tough not to like. And he’s been here for a long time, in this city, so like I said, he deserves it, and we’re happy for him.”
Batherson added that he checks all the boxes in terms of what a captain should be, calling it an “awesome day for everyone.”
“Yeah, not surprising. Well-respected guy in the locker room. He's always in a good mood. He's been here for a while, the way he plays, he'll play through anything, and you know, we're definitely all happy for him,” said Claude Giroux, who became a captain in the league at the age of 25 and admitted that the ‘C’ can affect someone’s game if they’re not ready for it.
“It can… I feel like when I got it, I was pretty young, and I made a lot of mistakes, and I'm going to own that. But you know, I feel like he's older, he's got a lot of experience. Maybe he’s never had a ‘C’ before, but I think it's just in his blood that he leads on and off the ice, and I mean, he's not going to change as a person, so he’s just got to go out there and play the game… he was always one of our leaders, and nothing’s going to change.”
It was clear that nothing had changed for the group on Wednesday during practice. As Green prepares his group for their first preseason game, he told the media that they’d probably rather have a game under their belt before Saturday’s opener — as Toronto will have played two — and has been ramping up the intensity with two-on-two battle drills throughout the week.
As Linus Ullmark’s stick got swept away during one particularly competitive small-area game, there was Chabot, picking up the stick and delivering it back to his goalie.
“Always like, a positive guy, a happy guy… he actually helped me a lot since I came here, and just a close friend to me,” said Fabian Zetterlund, who arrived in Ottawa at the 2025 trade deadline.
“I mean it's great, great for him, great for his family. He's been here for a long time, and this is his home, you know. And yeah, he deserves it, really, and we're super happy for him.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney has a new national council on artificial intelligence meant to provide the government with guidance for its AI strategy and on making the technology safer.A news release from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Friday outlined the formation of the Prime Minister's National Council on Artificial Intelligence, which looks to convene public and private stakeholders to advise on the evolution of Canada's AI strategy.The release said the members of the council will advise on accelerating adoption, develop...
Prime Minister Mark Carney has a new national council on artificial intelligence meant to provide the government with guidance for its AI strategy and on making the technology safer.
A news release from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Friday outlined the formation of the Prime Minister's National Council on Artificial Intelligence, which looks to convene public and private stakeholders to advise on the evolution of Canada's AI strategy.
The release said the members of the council will advise on accelerating adoption, developing national champions in the industry and building AI infrastructure as well as making AI safer, protecting Canadian democracy and ensuring Canadians benefit from the technology.
"The new National Council on Artificial Intelligence will inform and advise the government on how to most effectively deploy AI in Canada — how to manage the risks, seize the opportunities and ensure AI is used to improve the lives of all Canadians," Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement.
Over a dozen members were named to the council.
One is Yoshua Bengio, considered one of the godfathers of AI. Bengio's company LawZero is focused on developing a safe by design AI model called Scientist AI and was on the receiving end of $150 million in federal funding last month.
Another AI leader in the group is Valérie Pisano, CEO of Mila — one of Canada's national AI institutes and a non-profit committed to advancing AI for the benefit of all.
The council includes Sen. Tom Pitfield, who was appointed by Carney to the Red Chamber. Pitfield was previously one of Carney's top advisers, serving on his election campaign team and later in the PMO.
Patrick Pichette joins the council as CEO of Digital Transformation Canada, a new agency seeking to modernize federal services. Pichette is also a member of Canada's AI strategy task force.
The announcement comes as experts and stakeholders worldwide are pushing for caution around AI's rapid development.
In July, hundreds of rogue OpenAI agents escaped human control and hacked into the online platform Hugging Face, promoting an from more than 100 companies cautioning AI-powered cyberattacks will become more frequent and complex as the technology gets stronger.
WATCH | AI minister says existential warnings aren't new:
AI Minister Evan Solomon said 'there are real concerns' at the frontier of AI development, when asked about an Anthropic researcher who quit the firm, citing existential safety risks. 'Our No. 1 concern always is safety, full stop,' Solomon said.
Last month, an outgoing researcher at leading AI company Anthropic provided a dire warning in a thread on X that AI could "kill all humans" by the end of the decade, garnering widespread attention.
Days later, Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, published an essay which called on the AI industry to slow its rapid development so safety measures could catch up to the technology.
OttawaNewsOttawa gas prices to hit $1.90 a litre on Saturday. Here is when gas prices are expected to dropUpdated: October 02, 2026 at 5:30p.m. EDTSuspect sought after family of four assaulted near Kensington MarketBrampton man accused of operating two electrical contracting businesses without proper licenceSurveillance videos show potential witnesses in CRAB Park homicide, VPD saysAnother B.C. Corrections nurse suspended for accessing patient records without authorization2 i...
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Updated: October 02, 2026 at 5:30p.m. EDT
Local leaders in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa have initiated a process to rename Trump Avenue in response to United States President Donald Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”It’s not the first time Ottawa has considered renaming the street.Shortly after Trump’s first presidential term ended on Jan. 20, 2021, Ottawa City Coun. Riley Brockington polled Trump Avenue residents to gauge their support for renaming the street.The poll was evenly split with 21 residents in ...
Local leaders in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa have initiated a process to rename Trump Avenue in response to United States President Donald Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”
It’s not the first time Ottawa has considered renaming the street.
Shortly after Trump’s first presidential term ended on Jan. 20, 2021, Ottawa City Coun. Riley Brockington polled Trump Avenue residents to gauge their support for renaming the street.
The poll was evenly split with 21 residents in favour and 21 opposed to the renaming proposal, along with another 20 residents who did not respond. At the time, the city’s naming policy required that more than 50 per cent of a street’s residents must support a street renaming application, so the proposal to rename Trump Avenue did not proceed further.
Read more: Trump’s Lake Ontario bluster: Why treating his sovereignty threats as a joke is dangerous
The issue of renaming Trump Avenue resurfaced again after Trump declared Lake Ontario would appear as “Lake America” on U.S. federal maps.
Trump’s use of place renaming to retaliate against Canada for withdrawing from trade negotiations led many Canadians to defend the name of Lake Ontario as a matter of national pride.
Read more: Trump’s ‘renaming’ of Lake Ontario is emblematic of centuries of colonial erasure
It’s also drawn attention to a number of geographic features in Canada that bear the Trump name. Canadian commentators have raised questions about whether places in Canada should continue to share a name with one of the most anti-Canadian presidents in American history.
According to the Canadian Geographical Names Database, there are eight geographic places that currently hold official status in Canada named “Trump.”
Examples include Trump Lake and Trump Creek in Ontario and the Trump Islands in Newfoundland and Labrador. Québec also previously had a Lac Trump (now Lac du Porc-Épic, or Porcupine Lake), and there was once a Trump post office in Manitoba. However, none of these places were named for the current U.S. president.
The only place in Canada officially named to honour the president is Trump Avenue in Ottawa. It acquired its name more than two decades ago when Trump was best known as a New York real estate developer and Ottawa’s Central Park neighbourhood was being developed with a New York City theme.
The presence of Trump’s name in Canada’s capital city holds a different significance today due to his antagonistic policies toward Canada as president.
Renaming Trump Avenue is one piece of a larger geopolitical puzzle, since it is part of the broader effort by Ottawa’s leaders to resist U.S. threats to Canadian sovereignty and economic prosperity.
There is a long history of cities using place renaming as a form of geopolitical communication to foreign governments. Turkish political scientist Doğuş Düzgün refers to this process as “toponymic diplomacy.”
This geopolitical use of place naming can take the form of “toponymic solidarity” to signal support for another country or “symbolic retortion,” when place names are “used as tools for sending retaliatory symbolic messages to another country,” according to researchers in the field of critical place-naming studies.
For instance, the city of Glasgow renamed a public square next to the South African Consulate-General’s office as “Nelson Mandela Place” in 1986 to express its opposition to apartheid.
More recently, a number of cities have renamed streets, squares and other public places adjacent to Russian embassies or consulates in support of Ukraine.
As Ottawa considers street renaming as diplomatic retaliation against Trump’s policies, other governments are moving in the opposite direction by naming public places in Trump’s honour, from the 655-mile President Donald J Trump Highway in Morocco to Donald Trump Avenue in Hyderabad, India.
More than simply showing support for the U.S., these renamings operate as a form of paying tribute and signalling loyalty to a leader seemingly obsessed with seeing places and institutions named after him.
In appealing to Trump’s “toponymic narcissism,” place naming is reduced to a transaction — a way for a country and its leaders to potentially gain favour in wider diplomatic and economic negotiations.
Trump Avenue in Ottawa exposes the pitfalls of naming places after living people, whose future actions may bring them into disrepute. For this reason, the Ontario Geographic Names Board, while having no authority over naming in municipalities such as Ottawa, doesn’t support commemorative naming until a person has been deceased for at least five years.
And now that some Ottawa leaders and citizens want to launch a diplomatic retort by removing Trump’s name from their community, making that change may not be as easy as it sounds.
Trump carried out the renaming of Lake Ontario by a unilateral executive order, but that runs counter to widely accepted principles of commemorative place renaming. Those principles suggest that when the renaming of geographic features is pursued, it should result from a deliberative process of public consultation.
Ottawa’s current commemorative naming policy includes criteria that would likely disqualify Trump place names if proposed today. Among other requirements, commemorated people are expected to have brought “honour to Ottawa, Ontario or Canada.”
Yet the same policy also makes the removal of the existing Trump street name procedurally difficult. Since the unsuccessful 2021 effort to rename Trump Avenue, Ottawa revised its policy to require over 75 per cent of the residents and property owners on an affected street to approve any renaming application.
Experiences in other North American cities suggest that obtaining that kind of super-majority in support can become a significant obstacle to street renaming.
In a post-Trump future, it’s possible some communities will remove commemorative place names honouring Trump.
One harbinger of a looming potential de-commemoration occurred in 2023 when Donald Trump Square was renamed United States Square in the Israeli city of Petach Tikvah (meaning “Gateway of Hope”) following the end of Trump’s first term in the White House.
The removal of Trump place names in the U.S. and around the world is a real possibility once his second term ends. But doing so will likely require a deliberate bureaucratic and political struggle rather than simply flipping a switch.