Canada’s Intellectual Property Firm

Rankings & Recognition

Managing IP honours Smart & Biggar with four awards, including Canada’s “IP Boutique Firm of the Year”

Smart & Biggar proudly received honours in four award categories at the Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) North America Awards, presented virtually on April 7, 2021. Reflecting our position as a market leader, Smart & Biggar was named both “IP Boutique Firm of the Year” and “Patent Prosecution Firm of the Year” for Canada. 

Daphne Lainson, Chair of the Firm and Matthew Zischka, Firm Managing Partner accepted the awards on behalf of the firm.

The firm was also awarded “Canadian Impact Case of the Year” for our successful representation in Nova Chemicals Corporation v Dow Chemicals Company, as the Federal Court of Appeal upheld the Federal Court’s decision awarding Dow $650 million for Nova’s infringement of its patent. This is the largest reported Canadian patent infringement award in history.

Additionally, Ottawa managing partner Steven Garland, who was successful lead counsel for Dow Chemicals, was named Canada’s “Patent Practitioner of the Year”. Steve has 30 years of trial and appellate experience in intellectual property litigation. He has appeared as counsel before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, appellate and trial courts for the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia, and the Patent Appeal Board and the Trademarks Opposition Board. In numerous surveys, clients and colleagues have noted him as “an exceptional litigator” and “among the best”.

Smart & Biggar has long been recognized by MIP as a leader in IP. Past awards received from MIP include Trademark Contentious Firm of the Year in 2020 and 2017, Patent Contentious Firm of the Year in 2018, and IP Boutique Firm of the Year in 2020.

 

 

 

Smart & Biggar is widely recognized as Canada’s leading firm for intellectual property law, with offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. We are leaders in intellectual property and technology law and have been serving clients for over a century.