Gowlings named Canadian firm of the year for patent and trademark prosecution at Managing IP North America Awards

19 March 2015

Gowlings was named Canadian "Firm of the Year" in two categories at the eighth-annual Managing Intellectual Property North America Awards ceremony, held last night at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The awards honour outstanding intellectual property law firms from across Canada and the U.S., and also celebrate the achievements of in-house teams and individual lawyers.

Gowlings won awards in two of the five Canadian practice-area categories, coming away with "Firm of the Year" trophies for patent prosecution and trademark prosecution.

In addition, Ottawa partner Stéphane Caron was among a group of lawyers that received a “Milestone Case of the Year” award for Magasins Best Buy Ltée et al v. Québec (Procureur général), a case that involved the use of non-French trademarks on storefront signs. Caron represented Guess in the case.

Gowlings was also nominated for Canadian “Firm of the Year” awards in the patent contentious, trademark contentious and copyright categories. As well, Robert MacDonald, leader of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group, was shortlisted for the prestigious “Outstanding Canada IP Practitioner of the Year” honour.

Managing Intellectual Property magazine is considered a leading source for news and analysis on global IP developments. Gowlings has been ranked as a top-tier firm in Managing Intellectual Property’s 'World IP Survey' for 18 consecutive years.

As one of the world’s pre-eminent intellectual property law firms, Gowlings is home to top-tier practices in patents, trademarks, copyright, IP litigation, life sciences and more. With nearly 150 legal professionals serving clients in offices across Canada as well as in Moscow, the firm delivers practical, cost-effective legal advice to help clients grow their business and advance their vision.

Omar Nassif and Stéphane Caron at the Managing IP North America Awards
(photo courtesy of Managing IP)