Smart & Biggar

Patents, Life Sciences

Principal

Daphne Lainson is a Principal in our Ottawa office and serves as the National Practice Chair for our Life Sciences and Chem/Bio Patent groups. With nearly 25 years in specialized IP practice, Daphne focuses on securing patent protection and safeguarding intellectual property rights for a wide range of clients’ chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology related inventions, including new drugs, biologics, medical devices, consumer products, agrochemicals, specialty chemicals, industrial chemical processes, oil, gas and petrochemicals.

Within the area of pharmaceutical regulatory law, Daphne is a recognized leader in the field who provides strategic advice to clients during patent prosecution and following patent grant for both pharmaceuticals and biologics. She is regularly called upon by clients to advise innovative pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies in matters relating to regulatory data exclusivity under the Food and Drug Regulations, patent listing and enforcement under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations, Certificates of Supplementary Protection (CSPs) under the CSP Regulations and market access issues, including those relating to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. She has been particularly sought out for her expertise and thought leadership around changes to the regime governing the price of patented medicines.

She is listed annually in The Best Lawyers in Canada, Chambers, Euromoney Expert Guides, IAM, LMG Life Sciences, Lexpert, Who's Who Legal, World IP Review Leaders and Managing Intellectual Property’s IP Stars Handbook: Patents, and in 2022 was named “Ottawa Biotechnology Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers and “Canadian Patent Strategy Practitioner of the Year” by Euromoney LMG Life Sciences. Daphne is an AIPLA Fellow, Chair of the Fellows Committee. BSc Hons (Chemistry); MSc (Chemistry); LLB. Registered Patent and Trademark Agent. Called to the Ontario Bar in 2001.

Member, The Canadian Association for Healthcare Reimbursement Member, Canadian Association of Professionals in Regulatory Affairs Member, Drug Information Association Fellow, Intellectual Property Institute of Canada Fellow, American Intellectual Property Law Association; Chair of the Fellows Committee, past Chair of the Food and Drug Law Committee; past co-Chair of the Japan Practice Committee; past Chair of the Mentoring Committee; and past Chair of the Women in Intellectual Property Law Committee Member, Chemical Institute of Canada, Canadian Society for Chemistry Member, The Women's Business Network of Ottawa Member, Canadian Bar Association; member of the Patent Committee

Ontario Bar, 2001 Registered Patent Agent, 2002 Registered Trademark Agent, 2001 University of Windsor, LL.B., 1999 Queen’s University, M.Sc. (Chemistry), 1996;thesis titled A computational study of lithium cation and sodium cation interaction with sulfuryl and phosphoryl species Queen’s University, B.Sc. Hons. (Chemistry), 1994 Registered to practise before the United States Patent and Trademark Office