Michael Bean Trademark & Copyright Law
1 lawyer · Waterloo Region
One of 42 law firms listed in Cambridge, and one of 2 handling Intellectual Property.
About Michael Bean Trademark & Copyright Law
Michael Bean Trademark & Copyright Law is a Cambridge, Ontario practice devoted to one corner of the law: trademarks and copyright. It's led by Michael Bean, a lawyer and trademark agent registered in both Canada and the United States, and the firm registers marks and represents clients directly before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office lists D. Michael Bean among the Canadian trademark agents it recognizes. The practice draws on a career that began in 1991, first as senior legal counsel handling trademarks at a multinational packaged goods company, then as a partner and local intellectual property department head at an international law firm from 1997 to 2013.
Day to day the work runs from availability searches and opinions through filing and prosecution, managing international portfolios, and preparing licenses and assignments. When a dispute comes up, the firm takes on infringement and passing-off matters and opposition proceedings before the Trademark Opposition Board. On the copyright side it helps clients register, assign, license, mark, and enforce rights in literary, musical, dramatic, and artistic works, and it advises on moral rights. A trademark law clerk with more than 25 years of experience rounds out the team, and the firm keeps established relationships with trademark and copyright professionals abroad.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Michael Bean holds a law degree from the University of Toronto (1989) and a B.A. in economics and political science from McGill University (1986).
- The practice is built on a trademark career that began in 1991, including work as senior legal counsel at a multinational packaged goods company and, from 1997 to 2013, as a partner and local intellectual property department head at an international law firm.
- The United States Patent and Trademark Office includes D. Michael Bean on its published list of recognized Canadian trademark agents, who are authorized to represent Canadian parties before the office in trademark matters.
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
The firm's mailing base is in Galt, the largest of the communities (Galt, Preston, Hespeler, and the village of Blair) merged in 1973 to create the City of Cambridge. Galt sits on the Grand River and has a long history as an industrial town, and it's still commonly treated as Cambridge's downtown core. That's a fitting spot for a trademark and copyright practice. The client list on the firm's own site runs to brewers, coffee and food companies, and agricultural brands, the sort of Waterloo Region and Southwestern Ontario businesses that build a name worth protecting. Intellectual property work rarely needs a walk-in office, so the firm reaches clients across Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, Stratford, and Toronto by phone and email, and files for them well past the Grand River in both Canada and the United States.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Michael Bean Trademark & Copyright Law do?
- The practice focuses on two areas of intellectual property: trademarks and copyright. On the trademark side that means searches and opinions, filing and prosecution, portfolio management, licenses and assignments, and disputes. On the copyright side it covers registration, assignment, licensing, marking, and enforcement.
- Can the firm file a trademark in both Canada and the United States?
- Yes. It registers marks and represents clients directly before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and it keeps working relationships with trademark professionals in other countries for filings abroad.
- I'm launching a business in the Waterloo Region and want to protect my brand name and logo. Can the firm help?
- That's the core of the work. The firm runs availability searches, gives an opinion on whether a name, logo, or slogan can be registered, and then files and prosecutes the application. It works with clients across Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Stratford, and Toronto.
- Does the firm handle copyright as well as trademarks?
- Yes. It helps clients register, assign, license, mark, and enforce copyright in literary, musical, dramatic, and artistic works, and it advises on moral rights, which let an author stay associated with a work and protect its integrity.
- Someone is using a name or mark that's close to mine. Can the firm step in?
- The firm handles contentious trademark matters, including infringement and passing-off disputes and opposition proceedings before the Canadian Trademark Opposition Board.
- Where is the firm based and how do I reach it?
- It's based in the Galt area of Cambridge, Ontario, with mail sent to P.O. Box 1737, STN Galt, Cambridge, ON N1R 7G8. You can reach the firm by phone at 519.954.7003 or by email, and it serves clients internationally and throughout Southwestern Ontario.
Where to find them
P.O. Box 1737, STN Galt, Cambridge, ON N1R 7G8 · 519-954-7003
Similar firms in Waterloo Region
Game Studio Law is a solo practice serving the video game industry, licensed in Ontario and California. It helps game studios, founders, and freelancers with IP, incorporation, employment and contractor agreements, an…
Technology & Startups
Intellectual Property
Business & Corporate Law
Pervez & Pervez Law is a Cambridge firm co-founded by Dahlia Pervez and Khizer Pervez, serving clients in both Canada and the United States. It works in corporate and commercial law, technology and startups, cross-bor…
Business & Corporate Law
Wills, Estates & Trusts
Employment & Labour Law
Immigration Law
McCague Borlack LLP is a civil litigation firm founded in 1994, with offices in Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener, Barrie, and London. It focuses on insurance defence and insurance coverage litigation, and its lawyers also r…
Insurance Law
Personal Injury
Civil Litigation & Dispute ResolutionBusiness & Corporate LawListing compiled from the firm’s public website in July 2026. Verify licence status in the Law Society of Ontario directory ↗