Industry committee  When our company was 5 or 10 people, there would not have been the $8,000, $10,000, or $12,000 sitting around to file for a patent. It's a tough question because I know we like free enterprise, but some way of encouraging the start-ups to file for the first patent might be very useful.

Industry committee  Mr. Wallace, I'm not going to tell you that you're right or wrong or that your constituent is right or wrong. Again, I am not a patent lawyer, but it's my understanding that if something is substantially similar, you still have a case. I would encourage them to get advice from a very well-qualified patent lawyer.

Industry committee  I don't think the U.S. scheme of having overbroad patents has anything to do with protectionism. I think it has to do with the fact that the patent examiners in the U.S. are timed. They have to produce so many patents and they have to review so many files, and stuff gets through very, very easily.

Industry committee  If you mean in terms of giving up the company's secrets, no, because if you're going for protection for your idea, you're disclosing something in return for at least theoretically a period of time when your use of that is entirely up to you. You can license it, use it yourself, or refuse to let anybody else use it.

Industry committee  It was code. We don't produce content. We just produce code in what is kind of the back office of e-learning. It was all about roles. Blackboard said that they invented having the roles of teacher, student, and administrator in a computer system. We were saying that teachers, students, and administrators had been around for a long time before Blackboard started.

Industry committee  I'm not sure. One of my favourite sayings is to never attribute to maliciousness what can be attributed to stupidity.

Industry committee  I'm not sure I understand the question.

Industry committee  Yes. The whole theory of a patent is that someone reasonably skilled in the art can build or develop whatever you're proposing to be patented, so yes, there is disclosure. I'm not a patent counsel, but I believe that in Canada the publication of the application occurs earlier than it does in the U.S.

Industry committee  It is the last thing on your mind. You look at trying to sell. I think that's probably true whether you're a gaming creator or an e-learning creator. If you're a small company, the last thing you're going to think about is looking at patents to see if you're going to get sued.

Industry committee  We did.

Industry committee  In a perfect world, yes, but remember that when we first went into the U.S., we had probably six employees.

Industry committee  I'm speaking for myself now, not for the company. I would be inclined to be more aligned with the European view. That being said, we still have to deal with the U.S. I don't think it means Canada should be in line with the U.S., but even if Canada took the EU position completely, I'm not sure that would affect our business quite as much.

Industry committee  I mean some sort of financial incentive.

Industry committee  Can I say both?

Industry committee  It's interesting. At the company I'm with now, we will go after grants. We are utilizing a grant in Ontario right now, the next generation job fund, which has been exceedingly helpful to us. We are using a grant in Newfoundland to start up our shop there. I think very much there's a place for grants.