Smart & Biggar is Canada's largest firm practising exclusively in intellectual property and technology law. We have a national and international reputation for the quality of our work and the calibre of our professionals. Related to Fetherstonhaugh through common partners, offices and personnel, we have been leaders in our field for over a century. Our record of superior service is the reason the world's most innovative corporations and law firms look to Smart & Biggar/Fetherstonhaugh. We offer a full range of services related to intellectual property and technology law, from trying complex patent litigation to managing trade-mark portfolios around the world.
LEGAL SERVICES
In the century that has passed since the founding of our firm, the legal and technological landscape has changed significantly. Advances in science, technology and marketing call for new methods of protection and these developments have brought intellectual property issues to the forefront of the global economy. We have not only kept pace with these changes — we have helped to bring many of them to fruition. Today we advise clients on a wide variety of existing and emerging intellectual property and technology law matters:
- Patents
- Trade-marks
- Copyright & Media
- Industrial Designs
- Litigation
- Licensing & IP Transactions
- IP Management & Strategic Counselling
- Pharmaceutical Regulatory & Compliance
- IP Crime
TECHNOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING
Approximately 70 of our 104 professionals are registered patent agents, including most of our lawyers. Virtually every member of our firm has an engineering or scientific background and dozens of our practitioners also have postgraduate degrees in their respective areas of practice. We offer our clients technology-specific experience in many sectors, including:
- Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical
- Chemical
- Industrial and Mechanical
- Electrical and Electronic
- Software, Information Technology and Internet
- Consumer Products
- Media and Broadcasting
- Financial Services
- Aerospace and Defence
- Transportation
- Consulting Services
- Energy and Utilities
- Food, Beverage and Tobacco
- Luxury Goods and Apparel
- Metals and Mining
- Retail
- Telecommunications
- Clean Tech
MAXIMUM INTERNATIONAL REACH FOR CLIENTS
Our offices span across the country, but our practice covers the globe. For domestic clients who are expanding beyond national borders, we offer strategic counsel and an efficient gateway to the world. In addition to English and French, we offer capabilities in a number of foreign languages including German, Mandarin and Japanese. Members of our firms are also registered to practise before the US, UK and European patent offices. Over the course of many decades, we have built relationships with leading associate firms throughout the world. Our clients know that their assets will be protected outside of Canada with the same sophisticated level of understanding and care that they receive at home.
A TRUSTED RESOURCE FOR CLIENTS AND ASSOCIATES
We offer a full complement of patent and trade-mark agency services to associate firms and in-house counsel seeking to protect, exploit or litigate intellectual property rights in Canada. Many clients appreciate the convenience offered by our Ottawa office's close proximity to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. In fact, we have prepared, filed and prosecuted more patent and trade-mark applications than any other firm in Canada.