Louis-Pierre Gravelle is a partner with Bereskin & Parr LLP, and a member of the Electrical & Computer Technology practice group. He is a recognized leading professional in the high-tech and artificial intelligence areas. Louis-Pierre’s practice focuses on patent and technology law, particularly obtaining and leveraging intellectual property rights for startups, SMEs and large companies to support them in their commercial growth and business success.
Louis-Pierre has served as a member of the IPIC Patent Practice and Professional Regulation committees.
Tim Lowman is head of the Aird & Berlis' Intellectual Property Group and a member of its Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group. He is known as a client-centric, forward-thinking, detail-oriented and personable lawyer. Clients and colleagues recommend him for his consistent excellence in the diverse areas in which he practices. He is a Certified Specialist in civil litigation as well as a registered Canadian Trademark Agent, a Certified Arbitrator and a Certified Licensing Professional.
Tim has more than 35 years of experience as counsel in a broad range of commercial and intellectual property litigation, including patent, trademark, copyright, professional errors and omissions, trade secrets, invention ownership, product liability and employment law claims.
Tim is Chair of IPIC's Insurance Committee.
Heather Mueller is a registered Patent Agent in both Canada and the US, with more than two decades of career experience in Intellectual Property and Innovation Management. She has worked with inventors, investors, and entrepreneurs all across the innovation spectrum, including the energy sector, chemical and agricultural products, industrial processing methods, pharmaceuticals / biologics, and renewable energy. At NCS Multistage, Heather develops and leads corporate IP policy, including strategies for IP protection, positioning, de-risking, and enforcement.
Heather chairs IPIC's In-house Practitioners Community and is a member of the Patent Agent Examination Standards Committee.
Paula is the founder of Clancy PC. She has over 26 years of experience as a corporate/commercial and trademark lawyer and is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in IP (Trademarks). Her background in business and intellectual property law is an asset to her clients. Paula has a significant local practice, and her clients range from start-ups and SMEs to publicly-traded companies.
Paula served on IPIC's Board of Directors from 2018 to 2020. She has also served as Chair of IPIC’s Indigenous IP Committee, the International Trademark Issues Committee and the Sole and Small Practice Network.
Stephanie Chong is a trademark agent, lawyer and partner with the Toronto firm of Hoffer Adler LLP. Stephanie’s practice focuses on the acquisition, enforcement and maintenance of trademarks, including providing clients with business-oriented advice about their brand strategy from an IP perspective. Stephanie has broad experience in clearing, registering and licensing trademarks, as well as in representing clients in proceedings before the Trademarks Opposition Board and the Federal Court.
Stephanie has served on the Internet Committee, and Litigation Committee, has Chaired the Forums & Seminars Committee and the Indigenous IP Committee. She is a frequent speaker and writer on a wide range of IP topics, and regularly mentors students and young lawyers who have an interest in the IP profession.
Elizabeth regularly advises corporations on in-depth intangible asset management including licensing, contract, and transactional work with particular emphasis on assisting SMEs achieve their long-term legal strategy to leverage their intellectual capital and assist in the overall growth and development of their company. In her litigation practice, Elizabeth represents clients in matters before the Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal, Ontario Superior Court and Ontario Court of Appeal. Elizabeth gained significant experience in the intellectual property litigation group of a major national firm and continued her practice at the nation`s top ranked litigation boutique before founding Dipchand LLP.
Elizabeth is a member of IPIC's Conference and IP Trade Policy committees.
Jonathan Auerbach is a partner, patent agent and trademark agent in the Intellectual Property Group at Stikeman Elliott. He has a broad range of experience in all aspects of intellectual property, with a particular emphasis on patent, trademark and copyright litigation, prosecution, licensing, counseling and transactions. Jonathan also has extensive experience in the acquisition, clearance, prosecution, enforcement and licensing of trademarks, including representing clients in trademark opposition proceedings and Section 45 expungement proceedings.
Jonathan joined the IPIC Board of Directors in 2020 and is a past Chair of IPIC's Internet Committee.
Béatrice T. Ngatcha is a lawyer and patent agent in Lavery’s intellectual property group. She is a patent agent registered to practice in Canada and the United States. She is also a lawyer called to the Ontario Bar and a member of the Quebec Bar (c.j.c). Béatrice holds a doctoral degree in chemistry from Université Laval and has been a post-doctoral fellow at the National Research Council in Ottawa. In addition to a busy patent prosecution practice serving Canadian and foreign clients, Beatrice’s expertise in sought in the areas of intellectual property litigation, trade secrets, due diligence, strategy, portfolio value building, licensing and arbitration.
Béatrice was the Editor of the CIPR from 2019 to 2021 and the Chair of IPIC's Membership & Information Committee from 2015 to 2019.
Jason Markwell is a leading intellectual property litigator in Canada. He represents domestic and multinational corporations in a wide-range of industries, including life sciences, technology, financial services, manufacturing, mining and energy. He is well-known for his work on behalf of innovative pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in patent infringement and regulatory disputes. He also provides advice in regard to the protection and enforcement of trade marks, copyright and trade secrets.
Jason is a current member of IPIC's Litigation Committee and previously sat on the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and Patent Legislation Committee.
The members of IPIC’s Board of Directors are elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Board is composed of nine members: four officers, the immediate past president and four directors.
Every member of the Board is elected for a term of one year. However, IPIC has adopted a practice which, subject to the vote by the members at the AGM, provides for continuity by allowing directors to serve on the Board for two years with two new members being elected each year.
After being absent from the Board for at least a year, a former director may be invited by the Nominating Committee to become the treasurer. This person makes a five year commitment: after being treasurer, he or she normally becomes secretary then vice president, president and chair of the board and finally, past president.
The Nominating Committee is composed of the president and chair of the board, the two immediate past presidents, and a fourth member-at-large. The Nominating Committee considers, among others, the names of IPIC members who, on their committee application form, have expressed an interest in serving on the Board. The Nominating Committee also takes into consideration volunteer involvement by members as well as the requirement of maintaining a representative Board of Directors.