Future Series: The Future of IP in Canada –The Northern Innovation Wave in America

Daphne Lainson is a partner at Smart & Biggar's Ottawa office and chair of the firm. With more than two decades of experience in law and patent agency and an advanced degree in chemistry, she has been entrusted with protecting inventions across the spectrum of chemical innovation. Daphne enthusiastically champions and effectively safeguards intellectual property rights relating to new drugs, biologics, medical devices, consumer products, agrochemicals, specialty chemicals, industrial chemical processes, oil, gas and petrochemicals. Within Smart & Biggar, she plays a key role as a practice leader of the firm's life sciences practice and in client relations management, particularly in key industrial markets, such as the U.S., Japan and Germany.

Matthew Zischka is Managing Partner of Smart & Biggar and based in the firm's Toronto.  Matthew leverages 20 years of patent prosecution, licensing and litigation support experience with deep industry knowledge to successfully commercialize and protect intellectual property. Harnessing his experience and technical expertise Matt also lead's the patent and industrial design group in the Toronto office. As a lawyer, engineer and patent agent, he has specialized expertise advising public and private companies in the electrical, software, electronics, cloud, mobile, mechanical, and medical device fields, and in emerging technologies such as AI, cryptography and Fintech.

Mark Evans is the Managing Partner of Smart & Biggar in Toronto, and a leader in the Trademarks practice.  Mark has more than 35 years of experience in trademark matters and has been chosen by Managing Intellectual Property as Canada's Trademark Practitioner of the Year, and is the only Canadian lawyer selected by the World Trademark 1000 to their Gold Tier in both trademark prosecution/strategy and enforcement/litigation. A seasoned trademark lawyer and highly respected litigator, Mark has significant experience as counsel to many of the world's leading brands.