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The Québec Government announced on June 17, 2015 that it will not appeal the Québec Court of Appeal's April decision confirming that the Office québécois de la langue française cannot require trademark owners to add a French descriptor to their trademarks used on public signage in another language than French in the province of Québec.
The Québec Government announced on June 17, 2015 that it
will not appeal the Québec Court of Appeal's April
decision confirming that the Office québécois de la
langue française cannot require trademark owners to add a
French descriptor to their trademarks used on public signage in
another language than French in the province of Québec.
Instead, the Government announced that it will amend the
Regulations under the Charter of the French Language to address
this issue, by requiring all businesses to add a French-language
descriptor, slogan or generic name. However, it suggested that this
requirement would not necessitate any alteration of business
brands. Many trademark owners may be concerned that adding
additional generic words may "alter" the distinctive
appearance of their brands. Hopefully, the amended Regulations will
address this concern.
The new Regulations are expected to be tabled this fall,
followed by a 45-day consultation period. The Regulations would
then come into force after publication in the Gazette officielle
which could be in early 2016.
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