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, a minimum score of 65% on each part of the exam is required.

The Foundation’s Award for the highest mark overall in the 2022 Trademark Agent Qualifying Examination is awarded to Any Obando Ospina of Cozen O'Connor LLP in Toronto. 

Any is a passionate and dedicated lawyer who focuses her practice on intellectual property prosecution, litigation, and corporate matters, and regularly assists with privacy matters. Her hybrid practice allows her to have unique and practical strategic advice as she has assisted clients through all stages of intellectual property matters, or privacy concerns. To date, Any has worked on several client matters at both the Federal Court of Canada (including the Federal Court of Appeal) and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. She is no stranger to legal research and crafting legal strategy, drafting memoranda, and generally preparing and managing litigation-based documents related to copyright, entertainment, and trademark disputes.

Any also has an active prosecution practice, where she regularly drafts trademark search reports and examiner report responses and provides trademark opposition assistance for a variety of complex trademark disputes. Whether it is a commercial, application, enforcement, protection, or litigation question — Any is eager and suited to provide nuanced and strategic advice.

Any also worked as a research and administrative assistant to Professor Alan N. Young at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, where she gained legal research experience, co-drafted a factum for the Ontario Court of Appeals, and drafted memoranda in administrative, procedural, constitutional, and criminal areas of the law. Any earned her bachelor’s degree, with honors, from Western University, and her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Any is trilingual in English, Spanish, and French.

In her spare time, Any is an avid cook and tries to make recipes from a new country each month. She also loves concerts and is always searching for the best empanadas in Toronto.

I am honoured to be recognized by IPIC for this year’s Educational Foundation Award for the 2022 Trademark Agent Exams – this truly marks an important milestone in my career. This award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication that went into studying for this exam. Of course, this could not have been possible without all of the invaluable training and mentorship I received from my excellent mentors at Cozen O’Connor LLP, and the unwavering support from my partner, family, and friends. I am grateful for this opportunity and award, which continues to inspire me to push the boundaries of my knowledge and expertise in this dynamic field. Thank you! - Any Obando Ospina, 2022 Trademark Agent Qualifying Examination Award Recipient

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 a minimum score of 50 out of 100 on each paper, with a minimum aggregate of 240, is required. Scores greater than 60 out of 100 can be carried forward to subsequent years until all papers have been passed.

The J. Edward Maybee Memorial Prize for the highest overall mark in the 2022 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 Edith Penty Geraets of Gowling WLG in Vancouver. 

Edith Penty Geraets is a qualified patent agent in Canada, a chartered (UK) patent attorney and European patent attorney practising in Gowling WLG's IP Life Sciences team in Vancouver.

Prior to joining Gowling WLG, Edith spent six years practising in the United Kingdom. She is experienced in drafting and filing patent applications, patent prosecution, EPO oppositions and oral hearings, as well as providing validity and freedom to operate opinions. She is also experienced in preparing and filing registered design applications in Canada, the UK, and European Union.

Edith uses her wealth of international patent prosecution experience to help clients develop effective strategies to protect their intellectual property across the world. Her clients range from individuals to large multi-national corporations working in the fields of biotechnology, biochemistry, molecular biology, agriculture, materials chemistry, small and large molecule pharmaceuticals, drug-delivery, and nanoscience technology.

It is quite an honour to be recognized by the IPIC for both the J. Edward Maybee and Marie F. Morency Memorial Prizes for the 2022 Patent Agent Exams. Preparing for the exams was no easy feat and this occasion marks an important milestone in my career as I continue on my journey of becoming a leader in the field of intellectual property.  These awards are a testament to the commitment that Gowling WLG invests in their people, and it is with their support and encouragement, including the unwavering support of my mentors, colleagues, friends, and family that we can celebrate this milestone collectively. Thank you to everyone who supported me, I am truly thankful and appreciative. - Edith Penty Geraets, 2022 J. Edward Maybee Memorial Prize & Marie F. Morency Memorial Prize Winner

Edith graduated with a first class MSci degree in chemistry and was awarded the DSM prize for Inorganic and Materials Chemistry for her final year research project. During her degree, she undertook research into the synthesis of nanoparticle systems for drug-delivery and diagnostics, as well as studying nanoparticle cytotoxicity in vitro. In her spare time, you can find Edith up a mountain hiking or skiing, or at sea on her paddleboard.

IPIC offers its sincere congratulations to its members Any Obando Ospina and Edith Penty Geraets for their accomplishments.

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