Heenan Blaikie's Intellectual Property Practice Group protects the intellectual property interests of domestic and foreign clients, be they public or private companies at various stages of growth or individuals.

Our national practice group members specialize in clearance, registration and enforcement of patents and trade-marks in the pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology, mechanical and high technology sectors, and domain names, copyrights and industrial designs. We counsel clients on privacy and publicity rights, infringement and validity issues, competition and advertising issues. We negotiate, draft and structure pertinent commercial transactions and appear before the Trade-marks Opposition Board, Copyright Board and provincial and federal courts.

We work closely with our clients, outside experts such as market survey researchers and scientists and with correspondent lawyers throughout the world to develop strategies for brand management, valuation, and prevention of loss from unauthorized use of our clients' intellectual property.

Our intellectual property practitioners have pertinent undergraduate and graduate degrees and work experience in their practice areas, including chemistry, life sciences, architecture, software and music. The core practice group collaborates with commercial, civil litigation, entertainment, labour and tax practitioners of the firm, all of whom are dedicated to providing a seamless approach to client service on intellectual property matters. International surveys, including Lexpert®, Managing Intellectual Property and Who's Who Legal have recognized our achievements in the practice of intellectual property law. In addition, several members of the firm are instructors at the university undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and publish and lecture extensively in Canada and internationally.

• Registration of patents, trade-marks, copyright and industrial designs; prosecution of applications on behalf of domestic and foreign clients
  
  
• Opinions relating to all forms of intellectual property rights, including availability, registrability, infringement, validity, chain of title, freedom to operate and subsistence of protection
  
  
• Commercial agreements involving intellectual property: negotiation and drafting of licenses, merchandise licenses, technology development and transfers, research and collaboration, strategic alliances, joint ventures, co-promotion and co-marketing, distribution and related agreements
  
  
• Due diligence audits, opinions and valuation of intellectual property rights
  
  
• Litigation involving patents, trade-marks, copyright, industrial designs and trade secrets, including infringement, declaratory and passing off actions, judicial review applications, interlocutory injunctions, proceedings under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations and alternative dispute resolution
  
  
• Marketing and advertising law, including food and drug regulatory matters
  
  
• Portfolio management of brands and technology, including audits, watch services and policing of rights
  
  
• Domain name registration and disputes
  
  
• Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements
  
  
• Representation before boards and tribunals, including the Copyright Board, Canadian Artists and Producers Professional Relations Tribunal (CAPPRT), Trade-marks Opposition Board and the Patent Appeal Board
  
  
• Privacy and publicity rights and access to information