Charles Boulakia

Specialist in life sciences patents, licensing and regulatory strategy

Charles’s practice focuses on preparing and prosecuting patent applications in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, chemistry, biofuel, and oil and gas sectors. He provides patent prosecution and portfolio management services in Canada and internationally, and advises clients on IP due diligence, validity and freedom‑to‑operate matters.

Charles also drafts and negotiates license agreements and counsels clients on pharmaceutical regulatory law, including strategies relating to the patented medicines (notice of compliance) regulations and patent register listings, patent term extension, certificates of supplementary protection, and complex divisional strategy. His pragmatic, results-based approach focuses on obtaining commercially relevant protection for his clients.

Protecting and advancing innovation across biotech, pharma, and chemistry

Charles provides international IP advice to Canadian clients ranging from garage inventors and academic researchers spinning out technology from universities and research institutes to therapeutic and diagnostic start‑ups and TSX and S&P 500 publicly listed companies.

He has successfully negotiated rights and license agreements between multinational companies, inventors, and many Canadian universities and research institutes, and has helped clients prepare, prosecute and obtain patents across a wide range of technologies, including DNA amplification technologies, targeted aptamer and antibody therapeutics, CRISPR based therapeutics, biomarker-based diagnostics, opioid formulations, functional foods and drinks, probiotics, pharmaceutical new chemical entities, pharmaceutical formulations and dosage forms, chemical production methods, pipeline coatings, pipeline manufacturing and inspection systems, cannabis-related technologies including delivery systems, formulations and combinations, cannabinoid purification and isolation and greenhouse filtration, e‑cigarette technologies and gasification plants that convert biomass waste into biofuels.

Charles is heavily involved in mentorship and volunteers across the industry, including  local universities, incubators, and at the College of Patent and Trademark Agents. Charles received the prestigious G. Raymond Chang Outstanding Volunteer Award from Toronto Metropolitan University in recognition of the culmination of his pro bono efforts there.

Charles has been recognized for his IP excellence by many leading awards and directories, including The Best Lawyers in Canada™, LEXPERT ^® Special Edition: Health Sciences, Lexology Legal Influencers, IAM Patent 1000, World IP Review Leaders, and The Canadian Legal LEXPERT ^® Directory.