Steven Garland

Steven Garland is managing partner of Smart & Biggar and chair of the firm’s executive committee. Mr Garland has over 25 years’ trial and appellate experience in all types of IP litigation, including issues relating to patent, trademark, copyright, industrial designs, trade secrets and competition law. He has acted in many patent litigation matters that have involved a wide variety of subjects, including chemical, electrical, biochemical, biotechnological, telephony, mechanical and industrial matters. He has appeared as counsel in IP cases at both the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, the Ontario Superior Court and Court of Appeal, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the Court of Appeal of British Columbia and the Supreme Court of Canada. He also appears before the Patent Appeal Board and the Trademarks Opposition Board. He has also been retained as a mediator in IP disputes.

Mr Garland acts on behalf of innovator pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies for patent-related matters, including patent infringement actions and proceedings under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations.

In numerous surveys, clients and colleagues have noted that Mr Garland is “top of mind for savvy representation”, “very skilled”, “a courtroom ace”, “an exceptional litigator”, “really stands out from the crowd due to the high-profile cases he’s had in recent years” and “among the best”.

Mr Garland is a former president of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (Canadian Group), and a former president of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa Law School, where he teaches patent law. He is a regular writer and lecturer on IP matters, both in Canada and internationally. He is also a member of the editorial board of Intellectual Property Magazine. Before becoming a lawyer, he was a reservoir engineer in the Canadian oil and gas industry.