 In Canada, all patent applications (unless they are withdrawn by the applicant) are made public eighteen months from the filing date or the priority date.The goal of public access is to give the public the ability to learn new technological information while protecting the right of the inventor to profit from the invention.The Canadian Intellectual Property Office maintains and publishes a list of Canadian Patent Agents who are registered with the Canadian Patent Office and who prepare and file patent applications in Canada on behalf of inventors.