Shift Law

Principal and Founder

John Simpson is the Principal and founder of Shift Law. John is an experienced and highly regarded Toronto trademark lawyer, copyright lawyer, licensing lawyer and litigator in all areas of intellectual property, including confidential information and publicity rights. John is one of a select number of trademark and copyright lawyers who have been certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as specialists in trademark and copyright law. John is also ranked in the World Trademark Review’s WTR1000 list of the world’s leading trademark practitioners and has been selected by his peers for inclusion among the Best Lawyers in Canada: Intellectual Property Law.

John has advised many different types of organizations regarding intellectual property law issues and has represented clients successfully in disputes before federal and provincial courts and before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. He has published numerous articles and papers on intellectual property law issues, a chapter in Intellectual Property Litigation: Forms and Precedents, and he has lectured on intellectual property law at Osgoode Hall law school and elsewhere. He is a regular contributor to Lawyers Weekly, Canadian Lawyer Magazine and is frequently quoted in the Toronto Star, Law Times and other leading publications regarding intellectual property law issues.

English

John obtained his LL.B from the University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Law where he was one of the original graduates of the Information and Technology Law program in 2003. While at law school, John received numerous awards and prizes for legal writing and advocacy in the area of intellectual property.

Before attending law school, John worked in the Canadian book and magazine publishing industry and, prior to that, he studied philosophy and political theory in Halifax and in New York City.

John lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

When he is not working, John likes running, cycling, playing baseball, skiing and reading.