IPIC Congratulates this Year’s Foundation Award Winners

Patent and Trademark Institute Education Foundation is a registered charity managed by IPIC that awards prizes to the candidates who obtain the highest marks in the patent and trademark agent exams.

In order to be eligible to take the Trademark Agent Qualifying Examination, prospective Canadian trademark agents must have worked for at least 24 months in the area of Canadian trademark law and practice, including preparing and prosecuting trademark applications. There are two parts to the exam that must be successfully passed: Part A which focuses on pre-advertisement issues and Part B which focuses on post-advertisement issues. In order to pass the exam, you must receive a minimum score of 65% on each part of the exam.

The Foundation’s Award for the highest mark overall in the 2021 Trademark Agent Exam is awarded to Michele Clarizio of Torys LLP in Toronto. 

Michele is an associate at Torys LLP whose practice focuses on trademark and patent prosecution. Michele received her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at Queen’s University, specializing in biochemical engineering, and completed her law degree from Western University.

Michele is an intellectual property lawyer whose practice focuses on patent and trademark law. She has experience advising on many aspects of patent law, including patentability, patent prosecution, patent drafting, validity, and infringement. Michele also advises on trademark law, including assisting with trademark clearance, opposition, and enforcement. She has experience negotiating and preparing intellectual property licenses and agreements.

In her spare time, Michele enjoys practicing yoga, listening to podcasts, and attempting to teach her puppy, Charlie, new tricks.

I am honoured to receive the Educational Foundation Award for the 2021 Trademark Agent Exams. This award is the result of countless hours of hard work and preparation and is a testament to being trained at Torys by some of the best trademark agents in Canada. I am very grateful for the steadfast support and encouragement I have received from my mentors, family, and friends. Thank you all for your support! - Michele Clarizio

Prospective Canadian patent agents must have worked for at least 24 months in the area of Canadian patent law and practice, including preparing and prosecuting patent applications, in order to be eligible to take the Patent Agent Qualifying Examination. There are four papers that must be successfully passed: Paper A – Drafting, Paper B – Validity, Paper C - Office Practice and Paper D - Infringement

In order to pass the examination, you must receive a minimum score of 50 out of 100 on each paper, with a minimum aggregate of 240. You may carry forward scores greater than 60 out of 100 to subsequent years until all papers have been passed.

The J. Edward Maybee Memorial Prize for the highest overall mark in the 2021 patent agent exam and the Marie F. Morency Memorial Prize for the highest mark in Paper A of the Patent Agent Examination were both awarded to Shuo Xing of Bereskin & Parr LLP in Toronto. 

Prior to being admitted to the Bar, Shuo was a summer and articling student with the firm. During her time at University of Toronto Law School, she participated in an IP-related externship at the Structural Genomics Consortium.

Shuo completed her Juris Doctor at University of Toronto. Before starting her legal career, Shuo pursued graduate studies in Organic Chemistry at McGill University, where she designed and synthesized a series of small molecules for a new approach to treat breast cancer and leukemia. Her research involved synthesis of bacterial natural product analogs for drug design and development. Shuo also holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biochemistry.

Her practice focuses on prosecution and litigation of patent matters, especially in the chemical, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical fields. She works closely with clients including start-ups, universities and multinational corporations in the prosecution and drafting of patents. Shuo also participates in the analysis of patent issues including filing strategies, validity, infringement, and freedom-to-operate.

In her spare time, she enjoys taking long road trips with my family, jogging with a fun audiobook, and collecting fountain pens.

It is an honour to be recognised by IPIC for both the J. Edward Maybee and Marie F. Morency Memorial Prizes for the 2021 Patent Agent Exams. This marks an important milestone in my career as an intellectual property lawyer. I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards all the mentor figures I met along the way and especially everyone at Bereskin & Parr for supporting me and providing me with invaluable training opportunities. I would like to thank my family, in particular my husband and daughter, for their encouragement and support while I studied and wrote the exams. I look forward to the opportunities and challenges in the next stage in my career as a patent agent. - Shuo Xing

IPIC offers its sincere congratulations to its members Michele Clarizio and Shuo Xing for their accomplishments.

Click here to learn more about the Patent and Trademark Institute Education Foundation.