Jean-Charles (JC) is a partner, lawyer, and patent agent at Marks & Clerk Canada. JC specializes in securing patent and industrial design protection in various fields including high-tech, mechanical, and consumer products. He provides strategic advice to local innovators and multinational companies on portfolio management, enforcement, and freedom-to-operate.

He is the current vice-chair of the Industrial Design Committee, and past chair and ongoing member of the Patent Committee, of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada.  He is also on AIPPI’s Canadian Standing Patent Committee and the Copyright/Industrial Design Committee. In addition, JC is a member of the AIPLA, the Law Society of Ontario, and the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario.

JC has been recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada (Intellectual Property Law), IAM Patent 1000 (The World’s Leading Patent Professionals), and Euromoney LMG’s Expert Guides (Rising Stars – Patents).  He has also authored and co-authored publications on designs, including for the Canadian Intellectual Property Review (comparative overview between Canada and the U.S.) and the ICLG’s Design Guide (Canada Chapter).

Prior to joining Marks & Clerk, JC spent a year in Germany studying electrical engineering at the University of Stuttgart. He worked as an intern at a financing and commercialization facility of the University of Ottawa. He then practised for several years in patent prosecution and intellectual property (IP) litigation at a large IP law firm.