Effective, efficient and highly experienced trademark and brand registration and maintenance
Our team of highly specialized trademark lawyers provide clients with trademark prosecution, registration and portfolio management services that fit each company’s unique brand strategy and business goals.
Rooted in our deep experience and expertise, we provide highly responsive trademark services and advice to our clients that is nuanced and practical. This results in carefully crafted trademark filing strategies, tailored to consider each clients’ branding objectives and budget as well as the subtleties of trademark law and practice, in Canada and internationally.
We are recognized as a “go-to” firm for handling challenging trademark prosecution and registration issues, and also have deep experience in protecting non-traditional marks---from protecting world-famous colour marks to registering Canada’s first sound mark.
Our clients benefit from our streamlined trademark registration and portfolio maintenance services providing them with cost-effective, diligent and client-focused trademark prosecution services. And we combine this with our extensive trademark expertise to carefully reduce the challenges faced in the trademark registration process. All of this is consistent with handling more than 3,000 trademark applications every year.
Our trademark advice and legal services are supported by a comprehensive infrastructure that includes skilled paralegals, cutting-edge portfolio management software systems, docketing and renewal specialists, in-house trademark searchers, and staff who are available to attend at the Canadian Trademarks Office on a daily basis. Team members across our trademark practice also receive extensive and ongoing in-house education on the latest developments in trademark law and practice.
We are proud that our trademark prosecution and portfolio management skills and services have garnered numerous awards, including being chosen at the top of the field every year by the World Trademark Review 1000, and being selected numerous times by Managing Intellectual Property as Canada’s Trademark Prosecution Firm of the Year.
Key Contacts
Unparalleled Expertise in Trademark Prosecution & Portfolio Management
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MIP
Tier One Firm for Trademark Law
2014-2024IP Stars: Trademarks -
WTR
12 leading trademark practitioners
2021 & 2024World Trademark Review 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals -
WTR
Gold Band Firm
2011-2024World Trademark Review 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals -
IAM & WTR
Canadian Trademark Firm of the Year
2023Global IP Awards -
MIP
16 Patent and Trademark Stars
2023IP Stars Guides -
WTR
13 leading trademark practitioners
2023World Trademark Review 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals -
Who's Who Legal
16 leading IP experts
2022Who's Who Legal: Canada -
WTR
Four partners named as Global Leaders
2019, 2020 & 2022World Trademark Review -
Who's Who Legal
17 leading IP experts
2022Who's Who Legal: IP -
MIP
18 Patent and Trademark Stars
2022IP Stars Guides
Related Publications & Articles
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Developing a sound global trademark filing strategy
This article explores three essential steps for developing an effective global trademark filing strategy: determining key parameters of your trademark applications based on your commercial priorities,...Read More -
Canadian Trademark Law 2023: A Year in Review
2023 was an active year in Canadian trademark law. Canadian Courts addressed a wide range of issues, from licensing to comparative advertising to co-branding. This article highlights some important de...Read More -
Trademark protection in Canada: Pursuing Canadian designations under the Madrid Protocol
Recently Smart & Biggar's Trademarks team hosted a webinar addressing Canada-specific issues for those pursuing Canadian designations of international registrations. This article provides a summar...Read More -
The Canadian Trademarks Office has backtracked on one of the options for accelerating examination of trademark applications
Earlier this week, we reported upon a new development for accelerating examination of Canadian trademark applications. However, the Trademarks Office has backtracked, imposing the previous, more oner...Read More -
Canadian Trademark Law 2022: A Year in Review
The article highlights some of the most important new laws, cases, and practice directions from 2022 that brand owners should be aware of when doing business in Canada.Read More -
Bill 96 and its impact on the French-language requirements in Québec
The French language holds the status of official language in the province of Québec through the Charter of the French Language (RLRQ c C-11), thus making the use of the French language mandatory in al...Read More -
It’s official: Options for challenging “official marks” in Canada
“Official marks” are a unique feature of Canadian trademark law. Many trademark owners, even in Canada, are unaware of official marks. Those who are aware, are often unclear about the rights provided ...Read More -
The marking of trademarks in Canada
Trademark symbols are commonly seen in the Canadian and international marketplaces, and while they are easy to recognize, it’s important to understand the differences between them, their significance,...Read More
Related News & Media
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Smart & Biggar boasts 14 Trademark lawyers recognized as “heavy hitters” in the 2022 edition WTR 1000
Smart & Biggar is proud to announce that 14 lawyers from our Trademark practice have been honoured in the 2022 edition of the World Trademark Review 1000 (WTR 1000) – The World’s Leading Trademark...Read More -
Smart & Biggar leads again with four lawyers recognized in Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders Global Elite 2022
Smart & Biggar is proud to announce that four lawyers have been recognized in Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders Global Elite 2022 edition for IP – more than any firm in Canada.Read More -
Smart & Biggar shines as a leader in IP with 17 lawyers and agents recognized in Who’s Who Legal: Canada Guide 2021
Smart & Biggar is proud to announce that 17 lawyers and agents have been honoured as leaders in IP in the recent edition of Who’s Who Legal (WWL) Canada Guide 2021. Our lawyers have been recognize...Read More -
Smart & Biggar lawyers named among the best and the brightest by MIP IP Stars - Rising Stars
Smart & Biggar, Canada’s leading firm in intellectual property law, is pleased to announce that senior associates, Laura Easton of Calgary, Jamie-Lynn Kraft of Ottawa and Vancouver-based counsel, ...Read More -
Smart & Biggar tops the charts in Canadian IP as Tier 1 across copyright, patents and trademarks in the 2021 Managing IP: IP Stars Guides
Smart & Biggar is pleased to share that Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) has ranked the firm as Tier 1 in all firm-wide categories in the 2021 IP Stars Guide — Copyright & related rights, ...Read More -
Graham Hood discusses the risks of “U.S. centricity” in Canadian trademark practice at IPLSPRING Virtual
Smart & Biggar partner Graham Hood will speak on the panel “The Perils of U.S. Centricity in Trademark Practice: What U.S. Companies and Their Attorneys Assume about Foreign TM Laws at Their Own R...Read More -
Smart & Biggar shortlisted for seven North America awards by Managing Intellectual Property
Smart & Biggar is pleased to share that the firm has been shortlisted for an impressive and industry-leading seven Canadian IP awards at Managing Intellectual Property’s 2021 North America Awards.Read More -
Smart & Biggar again earns highest ranking with 12 lawyers honoured for “success across the brand spectrum” in the 2021 edition WTR 1000
Smart & Biggar is pleased to share our acclaim in the most recent release of the World Trademark Review 1000 (WTR 1000) – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals.Read More