CBA IP Day | CBA Federal Courts Judges’ Dinner
Presented by the CBA Intellectual Property Section
Thursday May 29, 2025 | Ottawa, ON
Registration Fees
AGENDA
Join us in Ottawa this spring for the premier networking, educational and social event for Canadian intellectual property lawyers across the country. You won’t want to miss this unique opportunity for members of the bench, regulators and bar to engage in an open exchange of ideas and debate. Come learn from expert panels of speakers about current and key IP topics that are critical to your practice.
Simultaneous interpretation (English to French) will be available for the PD and EDI sessions. Please note, attendees must provide their own headsets to attach to their personal devices. For health and safety concerns, CBA will not be providing headsets.
Agenda Subject to Change
IP DAY | Thursday May 29, 2025
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EVENT |
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7:30 am - 8:30 am
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Registration
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8:30 am - 9:30 am
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Mentoring and Networking Breakfast
Sponsor
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9:30 am – 9:45 am
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Networking Break
Sponsor
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9:45 am – 11:30 am
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Federal Courts Town Hall
Speakers: TBC
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11:30 am – 11:45 am
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Buffet Lunch
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11:45 am – 12:45 pm
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PD Lunch Session (30 minutes):
Beyond Copyright: Balancing Creator Rights and Public Access in Creative Works
This animated lunchtime debate will explore the ongoing relevance and commercial value of creative works after their copyright protection expires, examining whether and how such protections could or should be extended or preserved.
Speakers:
Ysolde Gendreau, Université de Montréal, Law Faculty (Montreal, QC)
Carys J. Craig, Osgoode Hall Law School (Toronto, ON)
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12:45 pm – 1:00 pm
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Mentoring Break
Networking Break
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1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
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EDI Through the Ages: Are we there yet?
In response to criticisms that Edi is overdone, our intergenerational panel will engage in a roundtable discussion on Equity Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace, including changes in the landscape, where we are now, and what steps, if any, are still needed.
Speaker:
Imtiaz Karmat, Deeth Williams Wall LLP (Toronto, ON)
Nisha Anand, Gilbert's LLP (Toronto, ON)
Selena Kim, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP (Toronto, ON)
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2:00 pm – 2:15 pm
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Networking Break
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2:15 pm – 3:15 pm
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CIPO Townhall
Speaker:
Jeffrey Orser, Director Patents Services and Strategic Affairs (Ottawa, ON)
Guillaume Poirier, Director Service Excellence (Ottawa, ON)
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2:15 pm – 3:15 pm
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Trade Secrets Unveiled: Litigation, Cross-Border Comparisons & Future Impacts
In this session, the neglected sibling of IP law – trade secrets – finally gets its chance to shine. Our international panel of experts will provide an update on trade secret litigation in Canada, a comparison to the US approach, and consideration of how CUSMA (or whatever may come next) could impact the Canadian approach to the protection of some of the highest value IP assets.
Speaker:
Barry Horowitz, Greenberg Traurig LLP (Chicago, IL)
Sabrina Leung, Affilia Legal LLP (Montreal, QC)
Ryan Evans, Aird & Berlis LLP (Toronto, ON)
Moderator: Jay Zakaib, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP (Ottawa, ON)
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3:15 pm – 3:30 pm
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Networking Break
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3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
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Practice Tips Gleaned from Recent Case Law
Recognizing that late afternoon is no time for lengthy case summaries, this session will skip to the good part – the take-aways. Our dynamic afternoon session will canvass a few top practical tips and considerations for practice in trademarks, copyright, patents and litigation.
Speaker:
Nicole Zeit, Torys LLP (Toronto, ON)
Emily Miller, Smart & Biggar LLP (Vancouver, BC)
Lawrence Veregin, Aird & Berlis LLP (Toronto, ON)
Jacqueline Chan, Baker & McKenzie LLP (Toronto, ON)
Moderator: Fiona Legere, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Toronto, ON)
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Federal Courts Judges’ Dinner | Thursday May 29, 2025
| TIME |
EVENT |
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5:45 pm – 6:15 pm
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Junior Bar Networking Reception
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6:15 pm – 7:15 pm
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Networking Reception
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7:30 pm – 10:30 pm
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Federal Courts Judges’ Dinner and Honoree Presentation
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