The federal government launched its call for applications to create a non-profit that will educate small and medium-sized companies on intellectual property (IP) and map out the existing patents and trademarks of which they need to be aware. It will also report back to the government on IP-related issues businesses encounter. The four-year pilot project has $30 million in funding, announced as part of Ottawa’s Intellectual Property Strategy in the 2018 budget. (The Logic)

Talking point: The budget described a patent collective as a “way for firms to share, generate and license or purchase intellectual property,” and specifically noted that government was proposing would work to “pool patents.” However, today’s call for applications emphasized shared learning, not shared IP.