05 January 2024

2023 Agent Rankings

CIPO received 67,000 trademark applications1 in 2023.  This post ranks them as of 31-Dec-2023 in terms of the number of appointments per agent on behalf of: (1) all applicants, (2) Canadian resident applicants and (3) non-Canadian resident applicants.

The tables below are derived from the same dataset2.  The only difference is in the sort (i.e. rank) order, as highlighted in each table’s header.  Table 1 ranks appointments on behalf of all applicants; Table 2 ranks appointments on behalf of Canadian resident applicants; Table 3 ranks appointments on behalf of non-Canadian resident applicants.  Each table lists the Top 50 ranked agents out of the 553 agents (or firms) appointed in at least one application as of 31-Dec-2023.

The Tables have two entries for Smart & Biggar (Ottawa) and two entries for Smart & Biggar (Toronto).  This is because two different trademark agent registration numbers are associated with Smart & Biggar (Ottawa) and another two different trademark agent registration numbers are associated with Smart & Biggar (Toronto)3.  One of the Smart & Biggar (Ottawa) registration numbers and one of the Smart & Biggar (Toronto) registration numbers correspond respectively to the Ottawa and Toronto offices of the former Ridout & Maybee firm which became part of Smart & Biggar on or about 29-Sep-2023. 

For completeness and to provide perspective, the tables include—but do not rank—filings which do not appoint an agent (as of 31-Dec-2023).



2023 Top 50 Agents by CA Applicant Appointments


2023 Top 50 Agents by Foreign Applicant Appointments


This includes all types of applications handled by CIPO’s Trademarks Branch, e.g. trademarks, certification marks, official / prohibited (i.e. Section 9) marks, geographical indications, plant variety denominations, inbound Madrid Protocol applications, etc.  Bear in mind that the filing date of an inbound Madrid Protocol application is deemed to be the international registration date of the corresponding Madrid registration; and that it can take weeks or months for a Madrid application to arrive at CIPO.  Accordingly, a count of 2023 Madrid filings may change depending on when the count is done.

The dataset reflects CIPO’s trademark .xml data as of 31-Dec-2023. Note that filings per se are not tracked; rather, current appointments of agents are tracked as of 31-Dec-2023. For example, if an application filed in 2023 initially appointed agent A, and if agent A’s appointment was revoked, with agent B being subsequently appointed in 2023 to continue prosecution of the application, then that application is counted only in respect of the currently appointed agent B.

3 See Trademark Agent Registration Numbers for an explanation of those numbers in the context of both individual trademark agents and firms having one or more trademark agents.