Patents, Copyright and Industrial Design

Protecting intellectual property is essential to innovation and growth. In today’s hyper-competitive, global marketplace, your organization’s painstakingly developed ideas, solutions and creativity are constantly at risk. Trademark counterfeiting, patent infringement and copyright piracy threaten businesses of all sizes.

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Offering a full suite of intellectual property (IP) law services, we can help your organization strategically design, develop and enforce your intellectual property portfolios – including patents, copyright, trademarks, industrial designs and plant breeders’ rights in Canada. We work with an international network of associates to provide IP services across the globe.

Strategic planning and assessment can sometimes uncover hidden value and opportunities for your organization. We set up the framework to help your team proactively identify potential IP sources, such as newly developed technology that your company could patent or business and economic models that you could protect as a trade secret.

Services include:

Evaluating potential IP and providing opinions on patentability, infringement and validity
Conducting due diligence, including prior art searches and due diligence in commercial transactions involving patents and industrial designs
Drafting, filing and prosecuting patent and industrial design applications
Advising on commercialization and technology transfer, including licensing and sales
Enforcement, including patent litigation
Providing opinions on copyright infringement
Managing copyright portfolios and registrations
Developing copyright licensing and assignment agreements
Developing IP/licensing policies
Training engineers/technicians to identify and report on potential IP
Creating templates for short-form reporting of subject matter that may qualify for protection
Reviewing third-party IP
Reviewing or drafting supplier contracts or collaboration agreements involving IP

Technical Education and Industry Backgrounds

In addition to their legal experience, many of our lawyers, patent agents and trainees have degrees and work backgrounds in electrical, mechanical and optical engineering, computer science and other technology-related fields.

Our industry experience aligns with the needs of western Canadian inventors, innovators and investors. This includes agriculture and life sciences, energy, information technology and mining and natural resources.

We have particular competency in computer software and business method inventions including hardware; database schema, design and use; assembler and compiler code inventions; e-commerce and computer implemented business methods.

Support for Foreign Firms and Agents

We file and prosecute applications on behalf of foreign firms and agents wanting to obtain intellectual property protection for their clients in Canada based on foreign patent applications or PCT applications. Our IP team is responsive and service-focused. We know that timely and meaningful communication is especially important for foreign firms and agents, because you need the time to review our advice before reporting to your client.