With over 30 years of trial and appellate experience in all areas of IP and numerous landmark decisions under his belt, Steven brings the level of attention, dedication, and strategy required to be successful for high-calibre clients such as Amazon.com, Dow Chemical, Labatt, Shell, Bayer, McDonald鈥檚, Parmalat and Cenovus.
Steven has earned an outstanding reputation amongst colleagues and clients who view him as 鈥渢he full package 鈥 he provides innovative legal strategy; he is unflappable in the courtroom and highly effective in cross-examination鈥 (Lexology 2018 Client Choice) and 鈥渙ne of the most versatile trial lawyers in the Canadian IP community鈥 (IAM Patents 1000, 2019).
He has litigated on matters relating to patents, trademarks, copyright, industrial designs, trade secrets, breach of confidential information, and competition law. In respect of patents, Steven has acted in matters that have involved a wide variety of subjects, including chemical, electrical, biochemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnological, telephony, mechanical and computer/internet subject matter.
Exceptional results including the largest reported damages award in a Canadian patent infringement case
He has appeared as counsel before the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, appellate and trial courts for the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia, and the Patent Appeal Board and the Trademarks Opposition Board.
Steven also acts on behalf of innovator pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies in respect of patent-related matters, including patent infringement actions and proceedings under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations.
In numerous surveys, Steven is noted as being a 鈥渇antastic lawyer鈥 who competes in a 鈥渂road array of contests鈥, he is 鈥渢op of mind for savvy representation鈥, 鈥渧ery skilled鈥, "a courtroom ace", 鈥渁n exceptional litigator鈥, 鈥渞eally stands out from the crowd due to the high-profile cases he鈥檚 had鈥, and 鈥渁mong the best鈥. He was also praised as a 鈥渟tellar litigator鈥 whose victory for the Dow Chemical Company netted the largest reported damages award in a Canadian patent infringement case on infringing revenues of over 1B dollars (IAM Patents 1000, 2018).
Steven was elected as a patent agent Director for the College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents (CPATA) Board in 2024. He is a Past President of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Canadian Group, and a Past President of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC). Steven 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 intellectual property matters, both in Canada and internationally. He is also a member of the editorial board of the international publication Intellectual Property Magazine. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Steven was a Reservoir Engineer in the Canadian oil and gas industry.