Intellectual Property
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February 06, 2026
Fasken welcomes lawyer to its Canada, U.K. offices
This week, Fasken announced that Timothy St. John Ellam, K.C., has joined the firm as senior counsel in the litigation and dispute resolution group.
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February 04, 2026
Alberta seeking greater role in judicial appointments, threatens to withhold funding for judges
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is asking the federal government for a greater say in judicial appointments and has threatened to withdraw funding to support any new judicial appointments in the province unless a more collaborative process is set up. In an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Smith also said Ottawa needs to relax bilingualism requirements for judicial appointments “that do not reflect Canada’s broader linguistic diversity in Western Canada and alienates Albertans and western Canadians alike.”
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February 04, 2026
Marks & Clerk promotes Vekris, Smith and Young in Canada
Marks & Clerk has promoted three members of its Canadian team across its patents and trademarks practices, effective Feb. 1, 2026. Evangellos Vekris and Justin Smith have been named partners, while Shannon Young has been promoted to principal.
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February 02, 2026
Federal Court confirms the importance of inherent distinctiveness in trademark confusion
A decision of the Federal Court confirms that a lack of inherent distinctiveness was the most important element in determining whether the marks in issue were confusing (996660 Ontario Ltd. v. Falesca Importing Ltd., 2026 FC 114).
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January 30, 2026
Ontario court orders new law licence review for man who admitted to sexually abusing children
Ontario’s top court has ordered a new law licence assessment for a man who admitted to the sexual abuse of children, saying a fresh look is required to determine whether he is of the “good character” required of a lawyer.
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January 29, 2026
Davies welcomes partner Nikita Stepin to its technology practice
Nikita Stepin has joined Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP as a partner in the firm’s technology group.
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January 28, 2026
Goodmans announces 4 new partners
Goodmans LLP has named Larissa Fulop, Owen Gaffney, Christina Liao and Jaclyn Tilak as partners.
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January 28, 2026
AI at the helm of legal evolution
In the Dec. 17, 2025, issue of the Harvard Business Review, authors Julian De Freitas, Gideon Nave and Stefano Puntoni write that “the rise of generative AI is reshaping not just how we work, but how we think. In our experience, many leaders focus on productivity in generative AI deployment. Generative AI will indeed make many tasks easier and quicker to perform, increasing efficiency and decreasing costs. But we think that one of the biggest promises of this technology lies elsewhere: in unlocking new forms of human creativity that can drive innovation and growth.”
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January 27, 2026
Aird & Berlis adds 9 new partners
Nine people have become partners at Aird & Berlis. According to a statement from the firm, they are:
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January 26, 2026
Full variety protection for plants: Drones, DNA and the Court of Bari’s landmark decision
While the digital world grapples with AI-generated imagery, a parallel revolution in intellectual property enforcement is taking place in the physical fields of Italy. A recent, groundbreaking decision by the Court of Bari has set a transformative precedent for Plant Variety Protection (PVP).