Smart & Biggar repeats as Managing Intellectual Property’s 2015 Canadian Trademark Contentious Firm of the Year, and wins Canadian Trademark Milestone Case of the Year Award

Smart & Biggar is proud to have been recognized with two prestigious awards by the UK publication Managing Intellectual Property (MIP). The firm was chosen as the 2015 Canadian Trademark Contentious Firm of the Year for the second year in a row. The firm also received the Canadian Trademark Milestone Case of the Year Award for its success in the Québec Superior Court decision in Magasins Best Buy ltée c Québec (Procureur général), 2014 QCCS 142. François Guay, Christian Bolduc and Jean-Sébastien Dupont successfully represented the International Trademark Association (INTA) as an intervener in this proceeding. The Court confirmed, in line with the plaintiffs’ and INTA’s arguments, that businesses can continue using their registered trademarks on public signs outside their premises in the Province of Québec without the need to add French generic language.

The awards were presented at MIP's 2015 North America Awards ceremony, held on March 18th, 2015 in Washington, D.C. The ceremony recognizes excellence in the global IP industry and was attended by IP practitioners from across Canada and the United States.

Smart & Biggar has long been recognized by MIP as a leader in Canadian IP law.

The award winners are chosen by MIP’s editorial team and are based on extensive interviews with global in-house IP and business leaders. Firms cannot nominate themselves for any award categories.

MIP was founded in 1990 and is now firmly established as the leading international magazine for IP owners.