Melissa Binns

About Melissa Binns

Melissa Binns is a partner in Gowling WLG's Hamilton office whose work sits where intellectual property meets life sciences. Binns handles patent, trademark and copyright disputes, copyright licensing, and pharmaceutical regulatory matters. Clients come from Canada and abroad, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are among them. In the Federal Court, Binns has appeared as counsel at trial and on applications and motions.

There's real science behind the patent files. Before law school, Binns worked in molecular biology and microbiology as a cancer researcher and teaching assistant at Kingston General Hospital and Queen's University. A Life Sciences degree from Queen's came first, then a Queen's LLB, and Binns was called to the Ontario bar in 2007.

The disputes have covered a lot of ground: biotech and drug processes, clothing, software and IT, domain names, and well-known brands. Binns represented adidas in an infringement case over its 3-stripe mark, Eli Lilly in a patent validity action on the ADHD drug Strattera, the National Research Council in a patent case about plasma torches used to make carbon nanotubes, and Bayer BioScience N.V. in multi-party actions over who was entitled to a patent on early plant genetic engineering work.

Lexpert named Binns a Rising Star, one of its Leading Lawyers under 40, in 2018. That year, Binns was also involved in local and national life sciences and technology organizations that support emerging businesses, and was a leader in Gowling WLG's biologics and biosimilars practice.