Ryan Steeves
Automatically compiled listing. Details may contain errors.Partner at Gowling WLG
- Called to the bar
- 2012
- Languages
- English
Intellectual PropertyIntellectual PropertyAbout Ryan Steeves
Individual creators, local independent businesses and big multinational corporations all turn to Ryan Steeves when their intellectual property's on the line. A partner in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office, Steeves argues IP cases at every stage, in federal and provincial courts alike, and helps clients plan how to guard and enforce their rights before a fight starts.
Hockey came before law, and it wasn't a casual hobby. Steeves was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche while studying premed at Yale, then signed a three-year contract with the club after graduating in 2004.
Before joining Gowling WLG, Steeves spent time in-house as director of legal affairs at Music Canada, the trade group for the country's major record labels. There, Steeves led its federal push for stronger IP laws, co-authored its 2017 report The Value Gap, and instructed outside counsel when Music Canada intervened in Supreme Court of Canada cases. Earlier on, after a 2012 call to the Ontario bar, Steeves worked as an associate at a large national firm in Ottawa on pharmaceutical patent and copyright litigation and in trademark prosecution.
Today's caseload spans drug and technology patents, copyright, brands and confidential business information. The Legal 500 lists Steeves as a Next Generation Partner for sports law in Canada.
Practice areas
IP litigation
Handles complex disputes over pharmaceutical and high tech patents, copyright, trademarks and trade secrets, including PM(NOC) Regulations actions, Section 8 damages claims, technology copyright cases and trademark fights over fashion and sports apparel.
IP protection strategy
Gives strategic advice on proactively protecting and enforcing intellectual property assets.
Education & credentials
- JD, University of Ottawa (2011)
- BA, Yale University (2004)
- Called to the bar of Ontario (2012)
Awards & recognition
- Next generation partner, Sports law (Canada), The Legal 500
Publications & speaking
- The Value Gap: Its Origins, Impacts and a Made-In-Canada Approach (co-author), Music Canada (2017)
- Consolidated Intellectual Property Statutes and Regulations (co-editor and author), Carswell
- Souvenir Maker Granted Injunction, Delivery up and Awarded Compensatory Damages for Lost Sales, World Trademark Review Daily (2014)
- Strategies for Protecting IP in the Age of Cloud and Streaming Services (panelist), CBA (2016)
Memberships & affiliations
- Canadian Bar Association: Member.
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 Ryan Steeves’s licence and standing in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗
How this data is compiled and checked · Correct or remove this listing