Companies involved in primary agricultural production, as well as those involved in agriculture and food processing or the manufacturing of agricultural equipment all have significant intellectual property needs in their day-to-day business.  Many companies in these agriculture subsectors protect their intellectual property using trade secrets and or patents.  We have experience working with agricultural companies in the development and execution of patent strategies to protect their IP.  As well, many manufacturers of both finished agricultural products as well as agricultural equipment and inputs make substantial investments in branding around their businesses and their product and service lines. From a patent prosecution as well as a litigation perspective we also have experience specifically in the prosecution of various types of agricultural equipment patents as well as understanding of precision farming techniques and GPS related farming technology.

Over the years our work and portfolio has also included acting on behalf of a number of agricultural input or products distribution companies.  The distribution of agricultural crops or finished products, as well as the distribution of agricultural inputs such as chemicals, seed varieties etc. has given a broad based experience in terms of the types of issues that arise in this context.  Collaborative research agreements, confidentiality agreements, and multinational distribution agreements, to name a few, are some of the types of contracts and intellectual property protection and enforcement issues which arise for companies in these industries, and of which I have past exposure.

Manufacturers and distributors of agricultural products also spend great amounts of resources developing brand awareness and brand affinity in the marketplace.  On this basis I have done a vast amount of trademark work in the agricultural industry in the past as well, both in Canada and around the world.  I also have experience with various types of commercial due diligence which might be required in agricultural distribution contexts.  Protection of your brands in the agricultural industry is important and again we have substantial background and experience to assist in this regard.  From the procurement of patents or trademark registrations on the front end of the process, through to enforcement or defense of infringement litigation, we have experience representing clients working in this area.

Contact us to learn more about IP protection in the agriculture industry.