IPIC Announces Catherine Lovrics as the Recipient of the Shelley Jones Outstanding Contribution Award

IPIC’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Catherine (Cat) Lovrics is this year's recipient of the Institute’s Shelley Jones Outstanding Contribution Award. Cat received the award on October 13, 2023, for having gone above and beyond expectations of our volunteers at IPIC as Chair of the Copyright Committee, past Chair of the Copyright Policy Committee, as well as frequent contributor to the Internet Committee, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, and IP Trade Policy Committee, among other initiatives.

Always an active IPIC volunteer, Catherine (Cat) Lovrics this year played a key role in IPIC’s advocacy efforts as Chair of the Copyright Committee. She stepped up to the plate to represent the profession before Parliament on multiple occasions to discuss the governments draft right to repair legislation. She also represented the profession in discussions with industry associations interested in right to repair. Catherine was also a frequent contributor to the Internet Committee, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, and IP Trade Policy Committee, among other initiatives. The profession is fortunate to have volunteers such as Cat to lead our efforts on IP policy work in Canada.  – Adam Kingsley, IPIC CEO

Cat is a Partner at Marks & Clerk Canada and Head of the firm’s Trademark and Copyright Groups, where her practice focuses on trademarks, copyright, personality and publicity rights, marketing and advertising law, consumer protection and data and privacy law. She is among Canada’s leading copyright and trademark practitioners and has helped national and multinational clients protect, exploit, and enforce their IP in a wide range of industries, from creative and emergent tech to fashion and food. Cat manages large trademark portfolios and has coordinated clearance and filing projects, consumer products, licensing programs, enforcement, and anti-counterfeiting programs. She handles all aspects of trademark and copyright clearance, rights acquisition, licensing, and enforcement.

I’m grateful for the acknowledgement – it is a humbling honour.  I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the many dedicated and talented members of IPIC. Working alongside you over the years has been rewarding in and of itself and this recognition is the proverbial icing on the cake. – Catherine (Cat) Lovrics, Outstanding Contribution Award Recipient 2022-2023

Beyond her practice, Cat has made significant contributions by serving multiple committees, including the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada’s Copyright Committee as past Chair, the Canadian Trademark Opposition Board’s Advisory Committee as a member, as an expert witness on IP matters before Canada’s Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, as Board member of Artists and Lawyers for the Advancement of Creativity, which coordinates the pro bono clinic Artists’ Legal Advice Services, commonly known as ALAS, and Co-Chair of the Canadian chapters of the Copyright Society of the USA, and a former Trustee of the Society. She also serves on the Ad Standards Council and presides over consumer advertising complaints. Over the years, Cat has received various awards and accolades for her contributions to the world of intellectual property.