George Elvira Partner Patent Agent


Speaks:  English, French, Spanish, Portuguese


Primary office:  Montréal




George Elvira

Based in Gowling WLG's Montréal office, George Elvira is a partner and registered patent agent in Canada and the United States.

With over 18 years of experience in the intellectual property (IP) field, George helps innovative organizations in Canada and abroad customize, develop and implement IP management programs and strategies that align with their business and strategic objectives – resulting in tangible and measurable business value for senior management.

As part of George's IP advisory work, he provides strategic advice on obtaining and managing patent rights. He also manages trade secrets and know-how assets, and develops strategic plans to monetize and extract value from these rights and assets.

George works closely with the firm's transactional team to advise clients on the intellectual property aspects of complex, multi-jurisdictional mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, regional and global joint ventures, licensing, cross-border financing (venture capital and private equity), and public and private collaborative research transactions.

He represents clients in due diligence on both the buyer's and seller's side, analyzing and assessing competitive strengths and risks of the IP portfolio (e.g., patents, trade secrets, and know-how) in investment transactions, technology acquisitions, and business sales.

With his extensive scientific background, George also provides technical support to the firm's IP Strategy and Litigation Group.

He advises companies of all sizes, from small and medium-sized enterprises to multinationals, in a variety of sectors, including biotechnology, cannabis, clean technology, energy, pharmaceuticals, animal health and advanced materials.

George speaks English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

Career & Recognition

  • Career
     2008
    Patent Agent
View Full Career & Recognition Timeline

Career & Recognition

Filter timeline:
  • 2008

    • Career
       2008
      Agent, United States Patent and Trademark Office
    • Career
       2008
      Patent Agent
  • 2005

    • Education
       2005
      Université de Montréal, Ph.D. Neuroscience and Biochemistry
  • 2000

    • Education
       2000
      Université de Montréal, M.Sc. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • 1997

    • Education
       1997
      Université de Montréal, B.Sc. Biochemistry

Memberships

  • Associate Member of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada
  • "IP Management: a key prescription for drug discovery" (co-presenter: Julien Verneau), BioConnect Symposium, November 2016
  • "Bridging the gap between industry and academia", BioConnect 2011, Montréal, November 2011
  • "Intellectual Property Rights: a Key Asset for Early Stage Biotechnology Companies" (coauthor: Andréanne Auger), The Lawyers Weekly Magazine, February 2008

Upcoming speaking engagements

Representative Work

  • Member of the IP team that co-advised a "Big Four" accounting firm in the performance of a royalty audit for a Canadian Crown corporation on products/services marketed by a licensee and subject to a complex global license agreement
  • Member of the IP team that conducted an IP audit for a Quebec-based research company to provide recommendations for the implementation of an IP management program and to assist in the implementation aimed at improving the overall value and growth of the company
  • Member of the IP team that, in collaboration with a leading accounting firm, successfully defended a CRA audit and evaluation of a North American IP-based transfer pricing structure
  • Lead patent counsel to the IP co-counsel team in the financing of a Canadian animal health company financed by venture capital from a major Canadian pension fund, including the defence of a major IP due diligence by the investor, in which IP assets were secured
  • Patent lead on the IP co-counsel team representing a major Canadian cannabis company in the acquisition of a U.S. cannabis company, including the completion of a major IP due diligence of the target and the building of a patent portfolio relevant to the acquisition
  • Patent lead on the IP co-counsel team for the sale of a venture-backed Canadian animal health company to a large U.S. animal health company, including building a patent portfolio relevant to the sale and defending a major IP due diligence by the acquirer
  • Responsible for patents and trade secrets/know-how on the IP team that conducted an IP audit of a Quebec-based compounding pharmaceutical company, supporting and collaborating with a leading accounting firm on a strategic U.S.-Canada transfer pricing project.