Mark Pidkowich
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.Principal at Smart & Biggar
- Called to the bar
- 2009
- Languages
- English
Intellectual PropertyIntellectual PropertyAbout Mark Pidkowich
Mark Pidkowich is a principal with Smart & Biggar in Vancouver, building and looking after patent portfolios for companies in chemistry and the life sciences. That covers biologics, drug discovery, diagnostics, medical devices and natural products. A big part of the job is filing strategy: planning protection that serves what a client needs right now, a few years out, and over the long haul.
The work crosses borders. Pidkowich routinely drafts international applications and then guides clients as they're prosecuted in Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia, and handles Canadian filings for clients based in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. Licences, acquisitions, R&D agreements and other IP deals are part of the practice too, and Pidkowich has appeared for clients before the Patent Appeal Board.
Science came first. After a UBC Ph.D. in developmental genetics, Pidkowich spent time as a research associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory engineering oilseed crops to make designer oils, and also worked on growing enzyme therapies for rare metabolic disorders in plants. That research has appeared in journals including PNAS, and some of it is patented (US9340776, US9976155 and EP2585599). A J.D. from UBC followed in 2008, with a call to the British Columbia bar in 2009.
Plant biotechnology is still close to home. Pidkowich currently co-chairs the AIPLA's Plant Biotechnology Subcommittee and has written for it on how plant innovations are protected in Canada. Best Lawyers recognizes the principal in Intellectual Property Law, Cannabis Law, and Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice.
Practice areas
Life sciences and chemical patent portfolios
Develops and manages patent portfolios for biologics, drug discovery, diagnostics, medical devices and natural products, with a focus on filing strategy that covers short, medium and long-term needs.
International patent prosecution
Prepares international applications and advises through prosecution in Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australia, and prosecutes Canadian applications for foreign clients. Has represented clients before the Patent Appeal Board.
IP transactions
Advises on IP deals, from licensing and acquisitions to R&D agreements.
Education & credentials
- J.D., University of British Columbia (2008)
- Ph.D. (Molecular Biology), University of British Columbia (2001)
- B.Sc. (Biology), High Honours, University of Saskatchewan (1993)
- Called to the British Columbia Bar (2009)
- Registered Trademark Agent (2010)
- Registered Patent Agent (2013)
Awards & recognition
Publications & speaking
- Accelerating Canadian Plant Breeders' Rights (PBR) applications with foreign Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) test results, Smart & Biggar (2025)
- Plant IP Protection in Canada, AIPLA Plant Biotechnology Subcommittee report (Life Meets Law)
- The "Standard Material Transfer Agreement" and Access to Plant Genetic Resources: To What are you Agreeing?, AIPLA Plant Biotechnology Subcommittee (Life Meets Law)
- U.S. Supreme Court rules that the authorized sale of patented seed does not convey a right to produce a crop: Comparison to the Canadian approach, Smart & Biggar (2013)
- Federal Court considers effects of an error in paying a patent filing fee, Smart & Biggar (2013)
- Grow Your Assets: Intellectual Property for the Cannabis Industry (with Matthew Leaper), Grow Your Assets conference (2019)
- Modulating seed β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase II level converts the composition of a temperate seed oil to that of a palm-like tropical oil, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (U.S.A.) (2007)
Memberships & affiliations
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA): Co-chair of the Plant Biotechnology Subcommittee.
- Intellectual Property Institute of Canada: An associate of the institute.
In the community
- Coordinated the SBN Venture Ready Program, an entrepreneurship course from SFU's Beedie School of Business and the Student Biotechnology Network, in Vancouver in 2011.
- Taught "Law and New Media" at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in 2010.
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 Mark Pidkowich’s licence and standing in the Law Society of British Columbia directory ↗
How this data is compiled and checked · Correct or remove this listing