Program

The Bot Stops Here: AI and the Future of IP Practice

A practical, interactive, no-nonsense workshop exploring the uses of AI within your IP practice. Learn how to leverage AI tools for client management, monitoring, practice management and client communication. Share your favourite prompts and learn how others are using this technology in their practice. Join us to stay ahead in a competitive landscape by integrating AI into your daily IP practice operations.

Paul Blizzard Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP (Montréal)
Paul Lomic Lomic Law (Toronto)
Facilitator: Isi Caulder Smart & Biggar LLP (Toronto)

Pre-registration required | Limited seating
Additional fee – Member: $125 + GST / Non Member: $199 + GST

Join us for this year’s Welcome Reception—a perfect opportunity to reconnect with familiar faces and spark new conversations with members of the IP community. This gathering sets the stage for a collaborative and memorable Annual Conference.

Pre-registration required | Dress code: business casual

Nathaniel Lipkus Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (Toronto) / IPIC President
Barry Fong Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (Ottawa) / Chair, Conference Committee
 

Sage Paul | Executive & Artistic Director Indigenous Fashion Arts

Gold Sponsor: 
Sage Paul is an urban Denesuliné tskwe based in Toronto. Sage works closely with WIPO and major clothing manufacturers like H&M to develop guidelines to guard against cultural appropriation in clothing designs.

Sage is a proud member of the English River First Nation, Saskatchewan, is an award-winning artist and designer. A leading voice in Indigenous fashion, craft and textiles, her work highlights sovereignty, and resistance, all while reflecting a strong sense of balance and cultural pride.
 

IP Funding: Cultivating Canadian Innovation and Economic Prosperity 

The 2018 Federal IP Strategy laid the groundwork to fund investment in educational, strategic and protection initiatives for Canadian businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators. Learn how the resulting funding programs have rolled out and the associated successes, limitations, and outlook. Explore the role of IP in a healthy economy, keeping in mind both the global and domestic uncertainties Canada faces and aspirations for long-term growth and productivity.

Peter Cowan Innovate BC (Vancouver)
Ahmed Elmallah Bennett Jones LLP (Edmonton)
Moderator: Dan Hnatchuk Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (Ottawa)

Redefining Deference: Implications for IP Professionals

Explore recent judicial shifts reshaping standards of review for administrative decisions. The Canadian Supreme Court’s 2024 rulings in Auer and TransAlta favor a reasonableness standard for subordinate legislation. In the U.S., Loper Bright marks a major change, as SCOTUS overturned Chevron, reducing deference to agency interpretations. Compare evolving review standards in Canada and the U.S., and gain practical strategies for appeals before CIPO, the Copyright Board, USPTO, and ITC.

Rebecca Horwitz Bartlit Beck LLP (Chicago)
Jason Markwell Markwell Clarizio LLP (Toronto)
Adam Goldenberg McCarthy Tétrault LLP (Toronto)
Moderator: Jordana Sanft Lenczner Slaght LLP (Toronto)

The following IP Roundtables qualify for one hour of Ethics/Professionalism:

■   CPATA
■   Wellness in the Workplace
■   Cultural Appropriation of IP
■   AI in Practice Management
■   Women in IP
■   Challenges for In-house Counsel (Reserved for In-House Counsel)

Pre-registration required.

Essential Elements and the Free World Trust Legacy: Where Are We Now?

The SCC’s decision in Free World Trust is shaping claim construction in Canada—how are courts applying it in today’s cases? Learn recent interpretations, including Boehringer v JAMP’s realignment with the Improver test, from pharma and non-pharma perspectives. Explore evidentiary and procedural challenges like expert testimony on essentiality, discovery implications, and the influence of s. 53.1 (file wrapper estoppel) as considered in JAMP. Hear how Canadian and UK jurisprudence have diverged since Improver and what that means for the future.

Camille Aubin ROBIC LLP (Montréal)
Jenene Roberts Goodmans LLP (Toronto) 
Chantal Saunders Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (Ottawa)
Moderator: Daniel S. Davies Smart & Biggar LLP (Ottawa)

Protecting and Selling Image Rights (Real and Fake)

Explore key developments in Name Image and Likeness (NIL) rights, including the $2.8B earned by U.S. college athletes, the rise of Deepfakes and the impact of AI-generated likenesses. Gain practical guidance for Canadian individuals and businesses navigating image rights in a rapidly evolving legal and technological landscape and consider whether Canada’s personality rights laws are keeping pace with emerging challenges. Develop a clearer understanding of the legal risks, opportunities, and strategies for protecting image rights in the digital age.

Howard S. Hogan Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (Washington, D.C.)
Bob Tarantino Dentons (Ottawa)
Moderator: Brian Gray Brian Gray Law (Toronto)

Dispute Finance and IP Insurance: Turning Litigation into an Asset

Litigation finance can provide funds to pursue claims, advance working capital for R&D, and turn litigation into an asset—turning that (litigation) frown upside down. IP insurance can help mitigate the risk of infringement liability. Learn from funders, IP strategists, and counsel about available options, ethical guidelines, best practices, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Naomi Loewith Omni Bridgeway (Toronto)
Erin Pisko Innovation Asset Collective (Calgary)
Andrew Wilson Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes LLP (Calgary)
Moderator: Andrew Moeser Lenczner Slaght LLP (Toronto)

Trademark Tactics: Navigating Bad Faith After SkyKick

The UK Supreme Court’s 2024 SkyKick decision lowered the bar for finding bad faith in the filing of a trademark application, particularly in the case of broad specifications. What are the similarities and differences in UK, Canadian, and U.S. approaches? Gain practical guidance on filing defensible applications, avoiding potential bad faith challenges, and strategies for dealing with bad faith applications and registrations.

Caroline Henrie Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP (Toronto)
Heather J. Kliebenstein Merchant & Gould P.C. (Minneapolis)
Moderator: Sebastian Beck-Watt PCK Intellectual Property (Toronto)

After a day packed with insights and inspiration, join us for our Networking Mixer—where the vibes are relaxed, the conversations flow easily, and the only agenda is great company. Whether you’re here to talk shop or just chill, this is your moment to mix, mingle, and make it memorable!
 

Trivia Night is back! Following the overwhelming popularity and fun of the 2023 Trivia Night, the Patent & Trademark Institute Educational Foundation (PTIEF) is excited to bring it back for an even bigger evening during IPIC2025!

Join us for an unforgettable night of fast-paced trivia and friendly competition at the Rook and Raven Pub. Test your knowledge through two high-energy, one-hour rounds led by a professional emcee, covering a wide range of intriguing topics—all with clever intellectual property twists that only IP aficionados will appreciate. Light food and limited drink tickets will be provided.

This community-focused event promises laughter, camaraderie, and a spirited battle for bragging rights, all while supporting a vital cause. Proceeds go directly to the PTIEF Education Fund, which works to promote diversity, inclusion, and access to educational opportunities in the field of intellectual property.

Don’t miss out on this fantastic chance to connect, compete, and contribute. See you there!

Pre-registration required | Spaces are limited, register early to secure your spot! | Dress code: casual
Additional fee – $XX plus GST | Proceeds support the PTIEF

CIPO Update

College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents

Juda Strawczynski CEO & Registrar, College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents (Ottawa)
Moderator: Paula Clancy Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP (Ottawa)

Rethinking Patent Law: Unresolved Challenges in Canadian Doctrine

Explore some of the most prominent and unsettled issues in Canadian patent law. Delve into evolving principles and legal uncertainties surrounding inventive concept, infringement by common design, double patenting, the role of common general knowledge, and the doctrine of overbreadth. Gain critical insights to navigate the complexities of patent protection and litigation in Canada and consider the question: “Is patent law broken?”

Kavita Ramamoorthy Fineberg Ramamoorthy LLP (Toronto)
Moderator: Zarya Cynader Gilbert’s LLP (Toronto)

“Fair” or Foul? Copyright Battles

How have Courts and policymakers approached balancing copyrights and the need to access and use copyright protected works to: train AI; repair products and/or make programs, devices and components interoperable; and serve specific institutional and intermediate functions for user rights, with a fairness analysis and/or more specific limitations and exceptions? Learn how these issues are currently treated in Canada and in the U.S. and explore future challenges courts and policymakers must address in the face of rapid technological change. 

Bita Amani Queen’s University (Kingston)
Jeffrey R. Cadwell Dorsey & Whitney LLP (Minneapolis)
Jay Kerr-Wilson Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP (Ottawa)
Moderator: Catherine Lovrics Marks & Clerk Canada (Toronto)

Patent Office Practice Update

Trademarks Office Practice Update

The following IP Roundtables qualify for one Substantive hour:

■   Lunch with Officials from the Patent Office
■   Lunch with Officials from the Trademarks Office
■   Best Practices in Cross-Border Litigation (Trademarks)
■   Best Practices in Cross-Border Litigation (Patents) 
■   Combatting Bad Faith Trademark Applications
■   Patentable Subject Matter: What’s Next?

Pre-registration required.

IPIC Feud! Novel & Non-Obvious v. Creative & Original

Watch the face off between Team ´Novel & Non-Obvious’ led by Nathaniel Lipkus and Team ‘Creative & Original’ led by Jason Hynes as they compete to provide the most popular answers to intriguing IP law questions! Who will win the IPIC FEUD? Don’t miss this exciting session!

Players:
Christian Bolduc Smart & Biggar LLP (Montréal)
Erin Finlay Stohn Hay Cafazzo Heim Finlay LLP (Toronto)
Cory Furman Furman IP (Regina)
Jason Hynes Smart & Biggar LLP (Waterloo)
Nathaniel Lipkus Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (Toronto)
Joanne Nardi Joanne Nardi IP Consulting Services (Toronto)
Host:
Colleen Stanley Stanley IP Law (Toronto)
Survey Operator:
Sabrina Salituro Lomic Law (Toronto)

From Courtroom to Practice: A Review of Top IP Cases

Stay current with this annual update on leading cases in patent, trademark, and copyright law. Examine the most impactful and interesting IP decisions from the past year, as experienced lawyers and agents break down key rulings. Gain practical insights tailored for litigators, agents, and in-house counsel, and apply lessons learned to real-world IP challenges across all practice areas.

Amélie Béliveau Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP (Montréal)
Mat Brechtel Seastone IP LLP (Vancouver)
Alan Macek DLA Piper (Toronto)
Moderator: Tamara Ramsey Dale & Lessmann (Toronto)

Barry Fong Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (Ottawa) / Chair, Conference Committee
 

Gold Sponsor: 

Join us for IPIC2025’s grand finale—our signature closing Gala. This elegant evening brings together colleagues and friends to celebrate the achievements of the intellectual property community. Enjoy a night of fine dining, meaningful connections, and well-deserved recognition during IPIC’s prestigious Awards Ceremony.

Pre-registration required | Limited seating | Dress code: black tie recommended

Gold Sponsor: 

We invite you to linger a little longer and savour a sweet conclusion to IPIC2025. Enjoy a delectable assortment of desserts, coffee, and after-dinner drinks while connecting with colleagues and celebrating the spirit of the IP community. It’s the perfect ending to a memorable evening and Annual Conference—where conversations continue, and sweet moments are shared.