New data from Statistics Canada shows that sales of original software comprised the majority of total IP sales in 2018. Businesses in Canada with R&D activities sold $4.5 billion of intellectual property in 2018, a slight increase from $4.2 billion in 2017. (The Logic)

Talking point: Canadian IP sales are considered a measure of innovation. In 2017, businesses in Canada spent $2.2 billion on buying IP, because they spent less on patents and packaged or off-the-shelf software. IP purchases declined by 12.7 per cent in 2018, while sales increased by 6.4 per cent compared to the previous year. In response to a report on the state of intellectual property in Ontario’s innovation economy, the provincial government recently launched an IP action plan designed to help startups create greater IP value in their products.