Marc Richard

About Marc Richard

Drug makers, biotech companies and other players in the life sciences rely on Marc Richard to protect, commercialize and enforce the intellectual property their businesses are built on. Richard is a partner in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office and leads the firm's Life Sciences Group in Canada. The work reaches every kind of IP right, from patents and trade secrets to trademarks, copyright and domain names, and it isn't confined to health care: clients in sectors from oil and gas and mining to electronics and consumer goods bring their files too.

Patent litigation is where much of that experience shows. Richard has acted for a long list of pharmaceutical innovators in infringement actions and in proceedings under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations, and has headed trial teams defending damages claims brought against drug manufacturers. Called to the Ontario bar in 2004, the Ottawa partner has represented clients at every level of court, the Supreme Court of Canada included, and is a regular in the federal courts and Ontario's courts. At the Supreme Court, Richard has been part of the Gowling WLG counsel team for Sanofi-Aventis and for Schering Corporation in patent disputes with Apotex.

Richard holds an honours BSc from Queen's University (1999) and draws on a broad grounding in biochemistry, molecular biology and virology when working out a strategy with each client. Richard has also taught patent law and litigation practice part time at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Common Law, and clients can work with Richard in English or French.