Progressive Games Inc. v. Commissioner of Patents, (2000) 265 N.R. 392 (FCA)

JudgeDécary, Linden and Sexton, JJ.A.
CourtFederal Court of Appeal (Canada)
Case DateNovember 09, 2000
JurisdictionCanada (Federal)
Citations(2000), 265 N.R. 392 (FCA)

Progressive Games v. Commr. Patents (2000), 265 N.R. 392 (FCA)

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2000] N.R. TBEd. NO.067

Progressive Games, Inc. (appellant) v. The Commissioner of Patents (respondent)

(A-814-99)

Indexed As: Progressive Games Inc. v. Commissioner of Patents

Federal Court of Appeal

Décary, Linden and Sexton, JJ.A.

November 9, 2000.

Summary:

The Commissioner of Patents refused Progressive Games Inc.'s application for a patent on a poker game. Progressive ap­pealed.

The Federal Court of Canada, Trial Divi­sion, in a decision reported 177 F.T.R. 241, dismissed the appeal. Progressive appealed.

The Federal Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.

Patents of Invention - Topic 8

Invention - Defined - The Commissioner of Patents refused Progressive Games Inc.'s application for a patent on a mod­ified version of a five-card stud poker game which could be played in a casino or cardroom environment - Progressive ap­pealed - The Federal Court of Canada, Trial Division, dismissed the appeal - Progressive's changes in the method of playing a card game were not an "art" or "process" as found in the definition of "invention" at s. 2 of the Patent Act - The changes were not a contribution or addition to the cumulative wisdom on the subject game - The changes did not substantially modify the poker game as it existed nor did they create a new game - The Federal Court of Appeal dismissed Progressive's appeal.

Patents of Invention - Topic 702

Application for grant - General - Items patentable - [See Patents of Invention - Topic 8 ].

Patents of Invention - Topic 801

Application for grant - Bars - General -[See Patents of Invention - Topic 8 ].

Cases Noticed:

Shell Oil Co. v. Commissioner of Patents, [1982] 2 S.C.R. 536; 44 N.R. 541, appld. [para. 2].

Counsel:

Steven B. Garland and Kohji Suzuki, for the appellant;

F.B. Woyiwada, for the respondent.

Solicitors of Record:

Smart & Biggar, Ottawa, Ontario, for the appellant;

Morris Rosenberg, Deputy Attorney Gen­eral of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard at Ottawa, Ontario, on November 9, 2000, before Décary, Linden and Sexton, JJ.A., of the Federal Court of Appeal. Sexton, J.A., delivered the follow­ing reasons for judgment orally from the bench on that date.

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5 practice notes
  • Table of Cases
    • Canada
    • Irwin Books Intellectual Property Law. Second Edition
    • June 15, 2011
    ...Games, Inc. v. Canada (Commissioner of Patents) (1999), 177 F.T.R. 241, 3 C.P.R. (4th) 517, [1999] F.C.J. No. 1623 (T.D.), aff’d (2000), 265 N.R. 392, 9 C.P.R. (4th) 479, [1999] F.C.J. No. 1623 (C.A.) .................................................................................. 291 Tab......
  • Amazon.com Inc. v. Canada (Attorney General), (2010) 376 F.T.R. 288 (FC)
    • Canada
    • Canada (Federal) Federal Court (Canada)
    • April 19, 2010
    ...224 ; 2005 FCA 410 , refd to. [para. 40]. Progressive Games Inc. v. Commissioner of Patents (1999), 177 F.T.R. 241 (T.D.), affd. (2000), 265 N.R. 392; 9 C.P.R.(4th) 479 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. Refrigerating Equipment Ltd. v. Drummond & Waltham System Inc., [1930] 4 D.L.R. 926 , ......
  • Amazon.com, Inc. c. Canada (Procureur général),
    • Canada
    • Court of Appeal (Canada)
    • November 24, 2011
    ...of Patents), 1999 CanLII 8921 , 3 C.P.R. (4th) 517 , 177 F.T.R. 241 (F.C.T.D.), affd 2000 CanLII 16577, 9 C.P.R. (4th) 479, 265 N.R. 392 (F.C.A.); Consolboard Inc. v. MacMillan Bloedel (Sask.) Ltd., [1981] 1 S.C.R. 504 , (1981), 122 D.L.R. (3d) 203 , 56 C.P.R. (2d) 145 .APPEAL from a F......
  • Amazon.com Inc. v. Canada (Attorney General), (2011) 423 N.R. 337 (FCA)
    • Canada
    • Canada (Federal) Federal Court of Appeal (Canada)
    • June 21, 2011
    ...536 ; 44 N.R. 541 , refd to. [para. 21]. Progressive Games Inc. v. Commissioner of Patents (1999), 177 F.T.R. 241 (T.D.), affd. (2000), 265 N.R. 392; 9 C.P.R.(4th) 479 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. Free World Trust v. Electro Santé Inc. et al., [2000] 2 S.C.R. 1024 ; 263 N.R. 150 ; 2000......
  • Request a trial to view additional results
3 cases
  • Amazon.com Inc. v. Canada (Attorney General), (2010) 376 F.T.R. 288 (FC)
    • Canada
    • Canada (Federal) Federal Court (Canada)
    • April 19, 2010
    ...224 ; 2005 FCA 410 , refd to. [para. 40]. Progressive Games Inc. v. Commissioner of Patents (1999), 177 F.T.R. 241 (T.D.), affd. (2000), 265 N.R. 392; 9 C.P.R.(4th) 479 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. Refrigerating Equipment Ltd. v. Drummond & Waltham System Inc., [1930] 4 D.L.R. 926 , ......
  • Amazon.com, Inc. c. Canada (Procureur général),
    • Canada
    • Court of Appeal (Canada)
    • November 24, 2011
    ...of Patents), 1999 CanLII 8921 , 3 C.P.R. (4th) 517 , 177 F.T.R. 241 (F.C.T.D.), affd 2000 CanLII 16577, 9 C.P.R. (4th) 479, 265 N.R. 392 (F.C.A.); Consolboard Inc. v. MacMillan Bloedel (Sask.) Ltd., [1981] 1 S.C.R. 504 , (1981), 122 D.L.R. (3d) 203 , 56 C.P.R. (2d) 145 .APPEAL from a F......
  • Amazon.com Inc. v. Canada (Attorney General), (2011) 423 N.R. 337 (FCA)
    • Canada
    • Canada (Federal) Federal Court of Appeal (Canada)
    • June 21, 2011
    ...536 ; 44 N.R. 541 , refd to. [para. 21]. Progressive Games Inc. v. Commissioner of Patents (1999), 177 F.T.R. 241 (T.D.), affd. (2000), 265 N.R. 392; 9 C.P.R.(4th) 479 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. Free World Trust v. Electro Santé Inc. et al., [2000] 2 S.C.R. 1024 ; 263 N.R. 150 ; 2000......
2 books & journal articles
  • Table of Cases
    • Canada
    • Irwin Books Intellectual Property Law. Second Edition
    • June 15, 2011
    ...Games, Inc. v. Canada (Commissioner of Patents) (1999), 177 F.T.R. 241, 3 C.P.R. (4th) 517, [1999] F.C.J. No. 1623 (T.D.), aff’d (2000), 265 N.R. 392, 9 C.P.R. (4th) 479, [1999] F.C.J. No. 1623 (C.A.) .................................................................................. 291 Tab......
  • Why Stop Now? The Availability of Business Method Patents in Canada
    • Canada
    • Appeal: Review of Current Law and Law Reform No. 11, January 2006
    • January 1, 2006
    ...57 Lawson, supra note 48 at 103. 58 Progressive Games, Inc. v. Commissioner of Patents (1999), 3 C.P.R. (4th) 517 (F.C.T.D.), aff’d (2000) 265 N.R. 392, 192 F.T.R. 160 (F.C.A.) [ Progressive cited to C.P.R.]. 59 Ibid. at 521. A P P E A L  V O L U M E 1 1  2 0 0 6 8 7 game”, 60 the case is......

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