12th Annual Patent Colloquium

Presentations

Remedies and Views on Non-Infringing Alternatives Post-Dow v Nova, Zarya Cynader, Gilbert's LLP, Amrita V. Singh, Marks & Clerk Law LLP, and Bentley Gaikis, DLA Piper (Canada) LLP
Computer-Implemented Inventions in Canada - Bryan Norrie, Aitken Klee LLP
Methods of Medical Treatment - Steven Tanner, McCarthy Tetrault
Patentable Subject Matter: Where are the Dividing Lines? - Amy Grenon, aird & Berlis LLP

Speakers and Moderators' Bios

Chief Justice Paul Crampton, Federal Court of Appeal

The Honourable Chief Justice Paul Crampton was appointed to the Federal Court on November 26, 2009 and to his current position on December 15, 2011. Prior to joining the bench, he specialized in competition/anti-trust law in private practice. After spending ten years as a partner at what is now Davies, Ward, Phillips and Vineberg LLP, he spent five years as a partner at Osler LLP. Between his work at those firms, he took a two-year sabbatical at the OECD, where he was responsible for the organization’s work with developing countries in the competition law and policy field. At the outset of his career, he was Special Advisor to the Commissioner of Competition.

MODERATORS

Justice Mandy Aylen, Federal Court of Canada

Justice Mandy Aylen was appointed to the Federal Court as a Prothonotary (as the office was then known) in 2016 and then as a Judge in 2021. Prior to joining the Court, she was a partner with a national law firm and specialized in domestic and international commercial arbitration, procurement and government contracting, immigration and general commercial litigation. Since joining the Court, she has gained extensive experience in intellectual property litigation and in particular, navigating the amended PMNOC regime introduced shortly after her appointment. 

Justice Angela Furlanetto

Justice Angela Furlanetto was appointed a Judge of the Federal Court on February 26, 2021. She served as an Associate Judge of the Federal Court for two years prior to her appointment. Before joining the Court, Justice Furlanetto practiced in all areas of intellectual property litigation as a Partner with Dimock Stratton LLP and later DLA Piper (Canada) LLP. (https://www.fct-cf.gc.ca/en/pages/about-the-court/members-of-the-court/judges/the-honourable-angela-furlanetto).

Justice Michael D. Manson, Federal Court of Canada

The Honourable Justice Michael Manson was appointed Judge of the Federal Court on October 5, 2012. He attended McGill University (BSc. 1976; Dip.Ed. 1978) and the University of British Columbia (L.L.B. 1982). He was called to the Bars of Ontario in 1984 and British Columbia in 1995. He was Associate and then Partner at Smart & Biggar from 1984 to 2012. In 1996-2012, he was an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Victoria. He became a Registered Trade-mark Agent in 1984 and Patent Agent in 1989. He has authored more than one hundred articles and papers on intellectual property, trademark patents, and copyright law. In 2012, he was selected Vancouver Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers; Preeminent IP Litigation Lawyer in British Columbia by Benchmark Canada; and Canadian Outstanding IP Practitioner by Managing Intellectual Property. He was also a Fellow of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada and of the Litigation Counsel of America. 

PANELISTS

Zara Cynader, Gilbert’s LLP

Zarya Cynader is an IP litigator and partner at Gilbert’s LLP. She studied organic chemistry at UBC and law at U of T, and now assists clients in the pharma, biotech, technology, and consumer products sectors with product launches and related IP and regulatory disputes. Outside of work, Zarya enjoys travelling and spending time in the great outdoors, preferably without cell reception.

Elizabeth S. Dipchand, Dipchand LLP

Elizabeth serves as the managing partner at Dipchand LLP, a distinguished and rapidly growing boutique law firm specializing in Intellectual Property law and litigation, as well as corporate/commercial and franchise law. While her early career focused on pharma litigation under the PM(NOC), her practice is now a split between litigation and IP strategy / advisory work for innovative clients, mainly in the biotech and tech space. Elizabeth excels in finding practical solutions and is a frequent speaker on all things IP. In all her free time, she is a self-professed governance wonk and sits on a few boards including OCAD University, Shaw Festival Theater and serves as the Treasurer for the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada.

Neil Fineberg, Fineberg Ramamoorthy

Neil Fineberg is principal at Fineberg Ramamoorthy.  Neil has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical space, including patent infringement actions and cases under the PM(NOC) Regulations.  Fineberg Ramamoorthy have been counsel of record in 40 actions under the PMNOC Regulations since 2017.  Neil and his colleagues were counsel on some of the first cases to proceed under the “new Regulations” and can speak to the changes that have taken place over the past six years in the Court’s approach to those Regulations, from counsel’s perspective.  Neil recently spoke on this topic at IP day in Ottawa and on other patent-related topics at the IPIC annual meeting in Winnipeg.

Bentley Gaikis, DLA Piper 

Bentley Gaikis practices all areas of intellectual property law with a focus on patent litigation. He has experience representing clients engaged in complex multi-jurisdictional litigation requiring strategic co-ordination and collaboration between co-counsel in different jurisdictions. He has represented clients in all stages of patent disputes including trials and appeals. Bentley studied biotechnology while obtaining his master’s degree in chemical engineering. Since 2020, he has chaired the Fox IP Moot organizing committee. 

Amy Grenon, Aird & Berlis LLP

Amy Grenon is a partner at Aird & Berlis LLP, where she is a member of the firm’s Intellectual and Litigation & Dispute Resolution Groups. She has represented a wide array of Property clients in patent infringement and impeachment actions, as well as proceedings under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations and claims seeking damages therefrom. Amy also represents clients in appeals from decisions of the Patent Appeal Board and judicial reviews pertaining to prosecution matters. She regularly advises clients on regulatory matters, advertising, and licensing issues as well as the freedom to operate.

Emily Kettel, Bennett Jones LLP

Emily Kettel is a partner at Bennett Jones LLP in Toronto. She is an intellectual property litigator with over a decade of experience in patent validity, infringement and damages litigation, and intellectual property advisory work for clients in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and other science-based industries. Emily has significant experience in complex, multi-party patent matters involving concurrent litigation in Canada and the US and works with clients on market entry strategies. Emily chairs the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada's Women in IP Networking Group and sits on the Advocates Society's 10+ committee. 

Bryan Norrie, Aitken Klee

Bryan is a partner at Aitken Klee, where his practice focuses on patent litigation, mainly in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. When outside of the courtroom, Bryan may instead be found on a basketball court, pleading with nine-year-old players to keep their heads up while dribbling. 

Amrita V. Singh, Marks & Clerk

Amrita’s practice focuses on litigation in all areas of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyright, confidential information and trade secrets. She is the current Chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) Intellectual Property Section, and very active in the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) as a Board member, Chair of the Equality Committee, and member of Council. Amrita is also the immediate Past-Chair of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada's (IPIC) Litigation committee and is on the Federal Court IP Users Committee. Amrita is the 2021 recipient of the Queen’s University Law School Dan Soberman Outstanding Young Alumni Award for early career success, a 2022 recipient of the Lexpert Rising Star award, and is routinely ranked in various preeminent IP directories by clients and peers for her work in intellectual property law. 

Steven Tanner, McCarthy Tetrault

Steven Tanner is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group, based in Toronto. Focused primarily on contentious patent litigation, he has helped lead some of Canada’s largest and most significant patent infringement actions in the oil & gas, pharmaceutical and telecommunications industries. Steven taught patent law for many years as an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall and will be teaching IP litigation in the coming year. Steven is currently ranked as a leading practitioner in Chambers Canada, Managing Intellectual Property: IP Stars and IAM Patent 1000, and has successfully acted in several award-winning litigation cases recognized by Managing IP and LMG Life Sciences.