May 31, 2021
Following the official signing of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) during the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018, the new agreement came into force on July 1, 2020. The CUSMA now replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, which had been in place since 1994. At the time, NAFTA created the largest free-trade region in the world and shaped commercial activities on the continent. The far-reaching impact of the CUSMA will be felt in numerous fields of commercial activity and its implementation will take time. In terms of intellectual property, its effects are already noticeable.
May 27, 2021
On May 13, the Government of Quebec unveiled its proposed reform of the Charter of the French Language (the “Charter”), also known as Bill 101. This reform covers many spheres of society and the area of trademarks is no exception. Indeed, the bill entitled An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Quebec (hereinafter, “Bill 96”) introduces significant changes to commercial signage in a language other than French.
May 27, 2021
On May 13, 2021, the Minister of Justice and Minister Responsible for the French Language, Simon Jolin-Barrette, tabled Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Quebec (“Bill 96”). The purpose of this bill is to affirm that the only official language of Quebec is French and that French is the common language of the Quebec nation. In this article, we share our preliminary thoughts on this bill and its effects on professional bodies in Quebec.
