Strong intellectual property protection welcomed by Canadians

More than three-quarters of Canadian citizens agree the country needs better or the same protection of intellectual property (IP) as its major trading partners, say figures from a Nanos Research survey conducted last week.

When asked whether Canada should have more, the same or less protection for IP as our major trading partners, more than 76% agreed Canada's IP regime should be at least the same or stronger.

"There is a significant majority of Canadians who expect a level of intellectual property protection that is equivalent or even greater than that of our key western trading partners like the United States or Europe," says Nik Nanos, president and chief executive of Nanos Research, adding: "It is also important to note that a very small minority, only 12.4%, of Canadians think we need less intellectual property protection. It is a clear signal that Canadians assign a significant level of value to intellectual property."