Omar A. Nassif

Omar Nassif is a registered Canadian and United States patent agent and partner in Gowling WLG's Toronto Intellectual Property Law Group.

Omar joined the firm as a partner in 1997, and has more than 25 years of experience in patent matters.

Omar has extensive experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications, both domestically and in foreign jurisdictions. Clients regularly call on Omar to draft, manage and co-ordinate their international patent portfolios, and provide strategy advice on high-value assets within their patent estates. Omar has patent prosecution experience in the following areas: water treatment, agriculture, biomedical devices, pharmaceuticals, urethane chemistry, monoclonal antibodies, fertilizers and industrial tailings treatment processes.

Omar also has significant experience in: freedom-to-operate opinions, validity opinions, intellectual property aspects of major business transactions (such as underwriting of technology-based companies), providing support in negotiation and drafting of intellectual property licences, and providing technical support in a variety of patent litigation matters (including working with expert witnesses and inventors to draft evidence in patent litigation proceedings).

Omar is regularly ranked in IAM Patent 1000. In IAM Patent 1000, 2012, Omar was described as having "a 'brilliant life sciences mind' and is regularly called upon to provide technical support on disputes." IAM Patent 1000, 2013, wrote that "the 'phenomenal' Omar Nassif adds 'great strategic value,' offering crucial support to clients in the life sciences sector." IAM Patent 1000, 2014 states: "In the prosecution arena, Omar Nassif routinely secures cast-iron protection all over the world." IAM Patent 1000, 2015 states: "Omar Nassif procures international patents for Canadian life sciences entities - work which takes him all over the world. The cosmopolitan operator also prosecutes on Canadian soil and provides invaluable support to the firm's litigators."

In 2015, Omar was recognized by Legal Media Group (LMG) as the LMG Life Sciences Canadian Patent Non-Contentious Attorney of the Year. LMG also recognized Gowling WLG for Canadian IP Non-Contentious Impact Case of the Year in connection with Management of Purdue Pharma's Canadian patent estate, for which Omar has primary responsibility.