James E. Longwell
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.Partner at Gowling WLG
- Called to the bar
- 1994
- Languages
- English
About James E. Longwell
Technology inventions are the heart of James E. Longwell's practice: computer software and hardware, telecommunications, medical devices and business methods. Working as a lawyer, a patent agent and a trademark agent all at once, James looks after patent, trademark and industrial design procurement in Canada and abroad, and much of that work is drafting patent applications and prosecuting them to grant. Newer fields show up often, too, from fintech and travel tech to blockchain and artificial intelligence.
Clients run from startups and small businesses to universities and large corporations. With each of them, James works through IP strategy as a whole, from acquiring and protecting rights to exploiting and enforcing them. Business owners and investors also get James's strategic advice on deals outside pure IP, such as financings, joint ventures and technology procurement, development and commercialization.
James came to law from a math background and was called to the Ontario bar in 1994. Today James is a partner with Gowling WLG and has led the firm's Patents Group in the past.
Writing and speaking about IP are a regular part of the job. In June 2026, James co-wrote a piece for IPWatchdog with two Toronto colleagues comparing U.S. practice with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office's new subject-matter guidance, which in March 2026 replaced the 2020 notice covering computer-implemented inventions and medical diagnostics and uses. Earlier talks came back more than once to protecting IP in China, for Federated Press in Toronto, the Telfer School of Management and the Hamilton et al. Chambers of Commerce.
Practice areas
Patents for computer-related inventions
James prepares and prosecutes patent applications for computer-related inventions, with past files for software and hardware companies covering wireless devices and network infrastructure, enterprise computing, web development and middleware. Freedom-to-operate work is part of the mix: James has examined competitors' patent portfolios ahead of a telecommunications provider's national service offering.
Technology agreements and IP-backed financing
On the commercial side, James drafts and advises on IT agreements, among them development contracts, data management and protection terms, support arrangements and licences. One past mandate was strategic advice on secured financings involving the IP assets of a large maker and developer of telecom equipment.
Education & credentials
- Bachelor of Mathematics (BMath), University of Waterloo (1987)
- LLB, University of Ottawa (1992)
- Called to the Bar of Ontario (1994)
- Patent Agent and Trademark Agent
Publications & speaking
- Beyond the 'Actual Invention': A Closer Look at Canada's 2026 Updated Subject Matter Framework Compared with U.S. Practice (with Shahrzad Esmaili and Adam Maunsell), IPWatchdog (2026)
- Intellectual Property Aspects of Entrepreneurship (with Diane H. Dobrea), Canada-United States Law Journal, Vol. 33 (2007)
- Top 10 Differences in Canadian and U.S. IP Law, ABA Annual Meeting, Business Law Section (IP) (2011)
- International Comparative Legal Guide to: Patents 2011, Canadian chapter (co-author), International Comparative Legal Guide (2010)
- Court Applies American Patent Law to Canadian Business, The Lawyers Weekly (2005)
- Intellectual Property in Interactive Gaming, Chang School of Continuing Education, Ryerson University (2012)
- Introduction to Intellectual Property, Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship & Technology Centre, University of Waterloo (2012)
- Patent and Trade Secrets Law (guest lecturer), University of Toronto (2005)
Memberships & affiliations
- Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC): James is a member and chaired IPIC's Joint Liaison Committee on designs in 2009.
- Licensing Executives Society (LES): A member of LES, James has chaired the Laws and Government Action Committee of LES Canada and co-chaired the society's Toronto chapter.
- Toronto Computer Lawyers Group: James has served as chair of this Toronto group of technology lawyers.
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA): James belongs to this U.S. association of IP practitioners.
- Canadian Bar Association: James is a CBA member.
- American Bar Association: James also holds ABA membership.
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 James E. Longwell’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗
How this data is compiled and checked · Correct or remove this listing