Who we are

At Smart & Biggar, we have the honour of working with many of Canada’s and the world’s most important innovators and brand owners. We continuously invest in our client relationships, and many of our clients have entrusted us with protecting, enforcing and commercializing their IP rights for over a half-century.

We are proud to have supported our clients on the road to market leadership — from start-up companies in emerging growth sectors to multinational corporations, as well as innovators at universities and other research institutions – advising them on their most critical and complex IP matters.

Whether we are advising an innovative manufacturer on patent strategy or infringement issues, providing counsel on brand protection and enforcement, or handling the IP aspects of a corporate transaction, we always ensure that our clients receive the full benefit of our unrivaled IP experience and expertise.

We are committed to providing expert counsel and guidance to safeguard our clients’ competitive position and help them build and enforce strategic intellectual property and technology rights that will create more value for their business.

No other firm can claim a stronger track record of victories in intellectual property litigation for its clients than Smart & Biggar. We pride ourselves on providing clients with the rare combination of successful trial experience, deep subject matter expertise and sophisticated and practical skills and analysis.

Membership of the IPH Limited group

Smart & Biggar operates as part of the IPH Limited group. IPH Limited is a public company that is the holding company for an international network of intellectual property professional services and adjacent businesses which operate under different brands in a range of jurisdictions. For more information on the IPH Limited group and its member companies please see the IPH website.

Smart & Biggar ownership and structure

Smart & Biggar is the business name for three separate partnerships which provide specialised intellectual property services under the Smart & Biggar brand in a collaborative manner, namely:

• Smart & Biggar LP, a limited partnership formed under the laws of the Province of Quebec, which carries on the business of a patent and trademark agency and provides all related and other services that are not legal services provided by either Smart & Biggar LLP or Smart & Biggar Alberta LLP.
• Smart & Biggar LLP, a limited liability partnership formed under the laws of the Province of Quebec, which carries on the business of a law firm and solely provides legal services in Canada that do not relate to the laws of the Province of Alberta;
• Smart & Biggar Alberta LLP, a limited liability partnership wholly owned by individual lawyers and formed under the laws of the Province of Alberta which carries on the business of a law firm and solely provides legal services in Canada in relation to the laws of the Province of Alberta; and

Smart & Biggar LLP is solely responsible for the provision of all services reserved to the legal profession pursuant to the rules applicable to the practice of law anywhere in Canada other than the Province of Alberta. Smart & Biggar LLP will at all times provide such legal services, and all fees will be invoiced by Smart & Biggar LLP.

Smart & Biggar Alberta LLP is solely responsible for the provision of all services reserved to the legal profession pursuant to the rules applicable to the practice of law in the Province of Alberta. Smart & Biggar Alberta LLP will at all times provide such legal services, and all fees will be invoiced by Smart & Biggar Alberta LLP.

Smart & Biggar LP provides all other IP services, all fees for such services will be invoiced by Smart & Biggar LP.

Ownership group

Smart & Biggar operates as part of the IPH Limited group. Information on all legal entities forming part of the IPH Limited group is available here.

Each of the IPH group professional services businesses of Smart & Biggar, AJ Park, Griffith Hack, Pizzeys and Spruson & Ferguson operate independently from one another in the provision to clients of professional services.*The Applied Marks business operates independently from each of the IPH group professional services businesses but may refer clients to those businesses for the provision of certain services.

*A group business may in some cases engage or be engaged by another group business as a foreign agent or lawyer.

For more information on the key principles to which each IPH Limited group business adheres with respect to independence, appropriate disclosure of group relationships and the management of actual or potential conflicts of interest, see our Group Relationships Statement.