What do searches cost?
Design registrability searches typically cost at least C$1,000. They typically involve a time-consuming examination of design illustrations on file in the office in which the search is conducted (usually the Canadian Industrial Design Office or the United States Patent & Trademark Office). Searches need not be confined to the records of an Industrial Design or Patent Office. Trade catalogues published anywhere and at any time by manufacturers of similar articles are often worth searching for relevant prior art designs.
