The transforming power of IP in the financial services industry
As the financial services industry is increasingly revolutionized by emerging technologies, the need for strategic intellectual property protection has never been greater.
The importance of IP rights
Rapid technological changes, new business models, and battles for market share have all resulted in IP strategy, acquisition, protection and litigation playing a central role in the financial services industry. And Smart & Biggar has long been at the forefront of this field.
From representing ground breaking FinTech startups to being a valued partner for many of Canada and the world’s leading financial services companies, we provide clients with a wide range of multidisciplinary services to creatively and strategically safeguard and protect their business and their IP rights.
Our wide-ranging services extend from providing competitively sensitive IP strategic advice to deep expertise in patent protection in the FinTech space, from brand protection for financial services products to litigating complex payment services patents, from providing data privacy advice to banks and financial institutions to structuring and negotiating IP-related transactions, agreements and projects.
Technical expertise
Understanding the complex and rapidly changing technologies in the FinTech sector is vital to effective IP counsel.
We have stayed on the leading edge of developments in this important sector and, with the combined strength of our technical depth and our IP expertise, our team is able to deliver integrated, forward-thinking solutions.
Our combination of expertise and advanced technical training in relevant subspecialties enables us to offer focused protection of innovations in the financial services sector. We are leading experts in patent drafting and prosecution, litigation, acquisition and licensing of new technologies, and strategic management of IP portfolios.
Legal expertise
We are the largest firm in Canada practicing exclusively in IP law, and possess the expertise and experience to safeguard your competitive position by providing unparalleled IP counsel.
We have also been entrusted with handling Canada’s most important IP matters in this sector. We successfully handled the leading FinTech patent subject matter case by prevailing in the Federal Court of Appeal on behalf of Amazon.com in relation to its “one-click” patent. We were also counsel in the largest FinTech patent infringement case in Canadian history, and counsel in high-profile trademark litigation between two of the world’s largest banks.
Our depth of expertise is unmatched
Our strength and experience in IP matters in the financial industry is without parallel in Canada, and our financial services subject matter expertise includes:
- Cryptocurrency
- Blockchain
- Digital/virtual currency
- Payment processing systems
- E-billing and e-commerce systems
- Financial Products
- Financial software
- Mobile banking/mobile payment/mobile applications
- Trading systems