How I can help your business

• Guide you through identifying commercially significant innovations and securing patent and industrial design protection across high‑tech, consumer products, telecommunications, energy, aerospace, IT, and machinery to strengthen your competitive position. 
• Prepare and prosecute patent and industrial design applications, including coordinating with foreign associates to streamline cross‑border protection and reduce administrative burden. 
• Deliver sector‑specific advice on building and optimizing your IP strategy, to help you protect and leverage your technology assets.

Overview & Expertise

Jean Charles (JC) is a Partner, lawyer and patent agent in Marks & Clerk’s Ottawa office and a member of the firm’s patent group. His practice focuses on obtaining patent and industrial design protection across a wide range of sectors, from high-tech to consumer products.

JC has experience across a variety of industries, including telecommunications, energy, aerospace, information technology, and machinery. JC works with innovative businesses, ranging from start-ups to multinationals, providing strategic advice on identifying commercially important innovations and securing intellectual property (IP) protection.  He also works with foreign associate firms to efficiently file and prosecute applications in Canada.

JC earned degrees in law and electrical engineering from the University of Ottawa, which included a year-long international exchange studying electrical engineering at the University of Stuttgart.  Prior to joining Marks & Clerk, JC interned at a financing and commercialization facility at the University of Ottawa, where he gained practical insights into innovation and technology transfer.  He then spent several years at a large IP law firm, focusing on patent prosecution and IP litigation.

JC is the current 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 spoken on numerous panels to a range of audiences.  He has also authored and co-authored publications on industrial designs, including for the Canadian Intellectual Property Review (comparative overview between Canada and the U.S.) and the ICLG’s Design Guide (Canada Chapter) in 2024-2026.

Client work & Case Experience

Automation & Electrification Technology – Advises and prosecutes the Canadian patent and industrial design portfolios of a multinational technology leader in electrification and automation. 

Aerospace & Defence – Advises and prosecutes the Canadian patent portfolio of a global technology company in aerospace, defence, and cyber security.

Agri-tech & Machinery sector – Advises and prosecutes the Canadian patent portfolio of a producer in dairy and farming machinery.

Transportation Technology – Advises and prosecutes the Canadian patent portfolio of a multinational transportation company in ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport.