Grant W.C. Tisdall
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.Partner at Gowling WLG
- Languages
- English
About Grant W.C. Tisdall
Grant W.C. Tisdall works with technology companies to build and manage their intellectual property portfolios, and guides them in developing customized innovation programs that line up their intellectual assets with the business's direction. A partner and patent agent at Gowling WLG in Toronto, Grant brings more than 15 years of patent law to clients in Canada, the U.S., Russia, Europe and further afield.
Grant used to lead the firm's Patents Group and is now the Toronto lead for its Tech Group. Grant takes an active part in securing patents and industrial designs around the world, on subjects ranging from software and mobile devices to automotive controls and clean technology. Grant's own training is in engineering, with degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Grant has a good deal of experience with Russian technology companies, helping them grow patent portfolios beyond their home market, and also advises foreign businesses on the different kinds of patent protection available in Russia.
Grant has also been a public voice on how Canada treats business method patents. Over 2011 and 2012 Grant wrote a run of articles on Amazon's Canadian one-click patent, one of them co-written with Aaron Edgar, and Law Times quoted Grant on the Amazon appeal ruling. In 2012 the Toronto Star interviewed Grant for a piece on Twitter stepping back from patent fights.
Practice areas
Patent applications in software, mobile and clean tech
Grant prepares and prosecutes applications covering software and app development, mobile computer hardware such as antennas, automotive equipment and controls, and clean technology like lighting controllers and silicon device manufacturing. The work also takes in business methods (social media networks among them), graphical user interfaces, and enterprise systems for Check 21 electronic cheques and insurance claims.
Patentability, freedom to operate and deal due diligence
Business owners rely on Grant for opinions on whether their technology can be patented and on freedom-to-operate questions. Grant also supports litigation over patent infringement and validity, and handles IP due diligence for commercial deals, such as the materials for a Canadian company's sale of its international fibreboard production patent portfolio.
Innovation programs and patent mining
For a large multinational telecom company, Grant ran patent mining sessions that led to a worldwide portfolio of more than 300 patents and applications on mobile software development and deployment tools. Grant also oversaw an innovation program and the patent portfolio it produced for a global company ahead of its next generation of rugged mobile computing products.
Education & credentials
- MASc in Aerospace Engineering, University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (1992)
- BASc in Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo (1991)
Awards & recognition
- IP Stars: Patent star, Managing IP
Publications & speaking
- Amazon.com's Canadian "one-click" Patent on the Threshold of Issuance (with Aaron Edgar), gowlings.com (2012)
- Business Method as Essential Element of Valid Patent Claim: Amazon One-Click Decision, a Canadian Prosecution Perspective (2011)
- Surely Business Methods are Prohibited in Canada? Ramifications of the Amazon Appeal Decision on Doing Business (Methods) in Canada (2011)
- Top Ten Tips for Dealing with Business Method Patents in Canada (2011)
- Punitive Damages Award in Canada Due to Implied Knowledge of Infringed Patent (2012)
- Patents: Sorting Through the Nitty-Gritty, MaRS Best Practices Series (2012)
- U.S. Patent Reform and Your Business, Gowlings Oatmeal Series (2012)
Memberships & affiliations
- Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC): Grant is a member of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada.
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA): Grant belongs to the American Intellectual Property Law Association.
- American Bar Association: Grant holds a membership in the American Bar Association.
- Toronto Intellectual Property Group (TIPG): Grant is part of the Toronto Intellectual Property Group.
Is this you?
Fix or remove this listing, or add a free listing badge
Something wrong with this listing? Tell us and we’ll hide it right away while we review your request, then correct it or take it down.
Add your free listing badge
Add the free LawOnline listing badge to your website. It tells visitors you’re listed in an independent Canadian lawyer directory and links back to this profile. Being listed isn’t a certification or an endorsement, and the badge doesn’t mean we’ve checked your credentials.
This listing was generated by AI from public sources in October 2026. It may contain errors, and we can’t guarantee it’s accurate or complete. Before you rely on anything here, verify it on their firm’s website. Confirm Grant W.C. Tisdall’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗
How this data is compiled and checked · Correct or remove this listing