Borden Ladner Gervais retained its patent rankings from last year, as peers and clients noted its expertise in the pharmaceutical sector. "I believe that it has the best understanding and approach on how to litigate pharmaceutical patents," said a client. "It prepares cases in an extraordinary fashion."
The firm was especially active in Patent Medicine (Notice of Compliance) (PM[NOC]) proceedings this year, with Jamie Mills and Chantal Saunders, formerly of Gowling Lafleur Henderson, handling a number of matters for Purdue Pharma. BLG's prosecution practice also earned praise. "It is technically and legally very skilled in patent prosecution," said a client. "It handles many of our most important cases."
BLG's trade mark practice has consistently fared well in the rankings, and peers recommended Mary Jane Lemenchick for her prosecution, opposition and enforcement expertise. In copyright matters, Barbara McIsaac, Danielle Ferron and Hafeez Rupani advised the Entertainment Software Association and Entertainment Software Association of Canada (ESA/ESAC) in an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court regarding a series of Tariff 22 cases. The matters involve the proposal of the Society of Music Composers, Authors, and Publishers (SOCAN) to collect webcasting royalties for musical works communicated online between 1996 and 2006. The Supreme Court is expected to make a decision on whether to grant leave to appeal in the next few months.