Francois Larose

About Francois Larose

François Larose helps businesses build, protect and enforce their trademarks, looking after a brand at every stage of its life. As a principal in Smart & Biggar's Montréal office, Larose also brings deep experience in copyright, IP agreements and regulatory compliance. Clients come from every sector, and they range from small local ventures to global enterprises.

Quebec's Charter of the French Language is a particular specialty, and Larose has spoken on Bill 96 more than once, including a January 2025 session aimed at in-house counsel and a February 2024 talk on the Charter's impacts. In July 2026, Le Journal de Montréal carried Larose's comments on the trademark side of alleged sales of counterfeit luxury goods.

Larose was called to the Quebec Bar in 2002 and became a registered trademark agent four years later. The legal training (an LL.L. from the University of Ottawa, then a McGill LL.M. specializing in intellectual property law) sits on top of a business degree from the Université du Québec en Outaouais. Larose sets out to be a real business partner to clients, giving clear answers promptly, and many of those relationships have lasted for years.

Larose is active in the wider IP community too. Over the years Larose has sat on or chaired several committees of the International Trademark Association (INTA), including its North America Global Advisory Council, and of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada. Larose chairs the Canadian Sub-Committee of INTA's Non-traditional Marks Committee, and today sits on INTA's Trademark Legislation and Regulation Committee.