disclosed subject matter of the earlier filed foreign or domestic patent application. Patent infringement Once an invention is patented in Canada, exclusive rights are granted to the patent holder as defined by section 42 of the Patent Act. Any interference with the patent holder's "full enjoyment of the monopoly granted by the patent" is considered a patent infringement. Making, constructing, using, or selling a patented invention without the patent holder's permission can constitute infringement. Possession of a patented object, use of a patented object in a process, and inducement or procurement of an infringement may also, in some cases, count as infringement. The Patent Cooperation Treaty As of 26 June , 1970, Canada has been bound by the provisions of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Pursuant to the PCT, the Canadian Patent Office may receive an international patent application as a "Receiving Office" if the applicant is a national or resident of Canada (or if there is more than one applicant, at least one of the applicants is a national or resident of Canada). Additionally, the Canadian Patent Office acts as an International Searching Authority and as the International Preliminary Examining Authority. Where an international patent application has been filed in which Canada has been designated and elected, the Canadian Patent Office is the elected Office pursuant to the PCT. Additionally, the Canadian Patent Office receives Canadian National Phase patent applications in accordance with the provisions of the PCT and Canadian legislation, and the rules thereunder. See also Intellectual property law in Canada Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) References External links Patents — information about Canadian patents via the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) Canadian Patent Database Canadian Patent Agents — CIPO maintains and publishes a list of patent agents who are registered with the Canadian Patent Office and who prepare and file patent applications in Canada on behalf of inventors. Canadian Patent Office Record — a weekly publication by the CIPO, containing various important notices and information on new issued patents, laid open to public inspection applications, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications entering the "National Phase," and patents that are available for licence or sale. Further reading Canadian intellectual property law