Find Lawyers in Canada for Advertising and Marketing Law
Practice Area Overview
The field of advertising law in Canada has a wide scope – it encompasses the substantive laws, both federal and provincial, that govern the content of advertising, as well as the myriad and increasingly complex commercial and transactional arrangements involved in the creation and delivery of advertising messages.
Lawyers practising in this area routinely advise their clients regarding proposed advertising claims and claims support, packaging and labelling, promotions and contests, ad agency and media contracts, advertising pre-clearance, comparative advertising, advertising disputes, mobile advertising and social media, and privacy issues, including those relating to outbound e-marketing and online behavioural advertising.
They must be familiar with not only the key legislation of general application to advertising content, such as the federal Competition Act and provincial consumer protection legislation, but also with legislation affecting certain regulated categories of products or services, such as foods, drugs, cosmetics, natural health products, tobacco products, automobiles, and financial services, among others.
Advice provided by advertising lawyers may be informed by other disciplines, such as corporate and commercial law, intellectual property law, administrative law and litigation, as lawyers practising in this area may be called upon to advise on contracts, the use of intellectual property (belonging to the advertiser or third parties) and regulatory investigations or proceedings or private actions for misleading advertising.
In the age of social media in particular, they also must be attuned to both the legal risks, and the reputational risks, associated with certain types of promotional campaigns.
A creative mindset and approach is important in this practice area, as advertising lawyers need to help their clients create and deliver advertising that respects the law while remaining compelling to consumers.
Select a location from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
Province
A partner of the firm, Mtre Cindy Bélanger practices in intellectual property law and in advertising and marketing. A trademark agent, Mtre Cindy Bélanger develops strategies for trademark filings in Canada and abroad and adapts them to her clients’ objectives. She advises them on matters relating to trademark adoption and registration, trademark licences, copyright and domain name. She also works in litigation cases involving trademarks and copyright. She also specializes...
Michael Binetti, Managing Partner of the firm, brings a proven litigation background plus extensive experience in arguing both trials and appeals. He has demonstrated his strategic legal capability and expertise in wide-ranging areas of litigation. Michael’s peers and clients have commented that Michael is an “excellent and creative lawyer,” “finds unique solutions to complex problems,” and that “Michael gets it and knows how to win.” Michael represen...
Christian Bolduc has practised in the field of intellectual property for more than 25 years with a focus on trademark law. His experience covers all stages of the trademark life cycle and consists primarily of procurement, oppositions and cancellation proceedings, management, strategic counselling and enforcement. He routinely prepares and prosecutes trademark applications and prepares opinions on availability, registrability, validity and infringement. He is also highly skilled in assisting ...
Alex Cameron is the Co-Chair of the Privacy and Cybersecurity Group at Fasken. He is widely recognized as one of the leading cybersecurity and privacy lawyers in Canada. Alex is consistently sought out in these areas by cyber insurers and clients from all industry sectors, including numerous Fortune 100 and 500 companies. He has helped clients respond to large scale cybersecurity attacks, ransomware attacks and data breaches involving millions of individuals. An accomplished litigator, Alex h...
Paul Collins is senior counsel and the former Head of the Competition & Foreign Investment Group in the Toronto office. He practises corporate and commercial law, specializing in the area of competition law, providing both transactional and general compliance advice, as well as advice regarding marketing and advertising law. Paul is also a leading advisor for foreign investors in connection with the Investment Canada Act . His practice puts him in constant contact with the federal Competi...
Tony is a Partner and Co-Leader of the firm’s Competition, Marketing and Foreign Investment Group. As former counsel to Canada’s Commissioner of Competition (Department of Justice Canada) and having served as counsel in many of Canada’s most significant competition matters, Tony is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading practitioners in competition law and litigation. Tony represents and counsels clients in domestic and multi-jurisdictional competition matters, i...
Huy Do is the Co-Leader of the firm’s Competition, Marketing & Foreign Investment group. His practice focuses on anti-trust/competition, marketing and foreign investment law. Huy is a widely recognized leader in Canadian competition, marketing and foreign investment laws. He is a Past Chair and member of the Executive of the Competition Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association and serves as a Non-Governmental Advisor to the International Competition Network, a network of antitrus...
Eric Dufour has specialized in competition law and foreign investment reviews for over 25 years. He provides transactional, litigation, and general compliance advice relating to the Competition Act (Canada) and the Investment Canada Act. Eric has acted in both transactional, reviewable, civil and criminal matters under the Competition Act (Canada), including: advising clients in respect to mergers and strategic alliances as well as preparing pre-merger notifications, requests for advance ruli...
David Elder is counsel who practices communications, competition and privacy law. He is Chair of the Communications and Privacy & Data Protection Groups and a member of the Competition & Foreign Investment, Government Relations, and International Regulation & Compliance Groups. He also serves as the firm’s Chief Privacy Officer. David is recognized as one of the country’s foremost authorities on Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), having been involved in all s...
Mark Evans focusses on providing sophisticated trademark protection, management and counselling services. He represents many of the world's most famous brand owners and personalities, and is widely recognized as one of Canada's leading trademark lawyers. Mark has been honoured as Canada's "Trademark Litigator of the Year" in 2014 and 2015 by Benchmark Canada, and was one of Managing Intellectual Property’s six nominees as Canada’s “Outstanding IP Practitioner” for 2015...
Maxime primarily advises clients doing business in the fields of technology, video games, digital media, film, television, publishing and music. In the context of his broad legal practice in technology law, Maxime represents and advises clients in the negotiation and drafting of contracts related to all aspects of technology commercialization, including outsourcing agreements, software licensing, systems integration, and IT services. In the field of entertainment law, he represents producers,...
Arlan Gates practices commercial and regulatory law as a member of Baker McKenzie's Global International Commercial & Trade and Antitrust & Competition groups. He leads the Canadian Antitrust, Competition and Foreign Investment Practice, which has been ranked by The Legal 500 and Chambers Canada. He is also ranked by Chambers Canada and by Best Lawyers in the area of advertising, marketing and data protection law and leads the Canadian Advertising, Marketing and Regulatory Practice, p...
Laura Gomez is an Ottawa-based partner who advises on regulatory law, practising primarily in the area of product regulation, compliance and enforcement and corporate commercial law. Laura assists clients with regulatory and commercial issues relating to the commercialization of foods, supplemented foods, non-prescription (OTC) and prescription drugs, natural health products, cosmetics, devices, cannabis, consumer products and controlled drugs. She has particular experience in advising client...
Gordon B. Greenwood is the Managing Partner of Maclaren Corlett LLP. He focuses on business law within Canada and internationally, divided between regulatory law (especially as it relates to advertising and marketing, cosmetics, food and drug, and intellectual property law) and corporate/commercial law. As well as providing professional representation for domestic, international and multinational clients, Gordon is active with many trade associations across Canada and the United States. Mr. G...
Ms Griffith is called to the Bars of Ontario and New York and heads up the Toronto office’s Regulatory Practice. Her M.B.A. and extensive business career as a senior marketing executive yield a practical approach to business law, particularly in advertising and marketing. She is a consultant to Advertising Standards Canada, serves on Boards and has spoken on a variety of legal issues at many conferences in both Canada and the US. AREAS OF PRACTICE: Marketing and Advertising Law, Packagi...
Susan Hutton is a senior partner in the Competition & Foreign Investment Group. She provides Competition Act and Investment Canada Act advice in respect of numerous complex mergers and acquisitions. She provides clients with ongoing compliance advice and has guided clients through civil and criminal investigations, as well as complaints under the Competition Act . Susan is recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers Global and Chambers Canada , which quotes sources as saying she "is superb...
Isabelle Jomphe is a partner, lawyer and trade-mark agent in Lavery’s intellectual property group. Ms. Jomphe’s expertise includes trade-mark, industrial design, copyright, domain names, trade secrets, technology transfers, as well as advertising law, labelling and Charter for the French Language regulations. Ms. Jomphe is known for providing strategic and practical advice in all aspects of IP law, with an emphasis in the field of trade-marks. She advises clients in trade-mark cle...
Michael Kilby is a partner and Head of the Competition & Foreign Investment Group. He is a leading advisor on matters relating to Canadian competition and foreign investment laws, and has wide-ranging experience in complex merger reviews, foreign investment approvals, national security reviews, pricing and distribution practices, misleading advertising, anti-corruption and related counselling matters across a broad spectrum of industries. Michael has been involved in some of the most impo...
Karen MacDonald's practice covers litigation in all areas of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyright, industrial designs and confidential information. She has appeared before the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, the British Columbia Supreme Court and the British Columbia Court of Appeal, and has extensive experience in advising clients on IP litigation strategies, conducting discoveries and cross-examinations, as well as preparing and presenting arguments to...
Lewis Retik is a partner in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office, practising primarily in the area of corporate commercial and regulatory law. Lewis' practice focuses on regulatory and commercial issues relating to the commercialization of products, including regulatory licencing, product distribution, manufacturing, advertising, packaging and labelling. Lewis has extensive experience working with companies of all sizes, ranging from recent startups to large international companies in a variety of spe...
Mtre Lyne Robichaud has an unique experience in entertainment law, including music, shows, movies and television, advertising and new media. She advises numerous national and foreign companies, both in transactional law and in intellectual property litigation. Mtre Lyne Robichaud also specializes in labour law as it pertains to provincial and federal laws on the status of the artist. She represents several producers’ organizations, which has led her to plead before specialized courts, a...
Mr Savoie practices exclusively in the field of advertising law and has been doing so for over 20 years. As such, ad agencies and advertisers alike seek his advise on the legality of their advertising and promotional campaigns and often ask that he gives in-house information seminars on the subject.
Alice Tseng is recognized as one of Canada’s leading lawyers specializing in regulatory and marketing/advertising matters, particularly in the pharmaceutical, cannabis, food, medical device and cosmetic industries. She has been practising for over two decades, and is uniquely qualified as a pharmacist, lawyer and patent agent. Alice’s expertise in the pharmaceutical industry includes biologics, controlled drugs and substances, immunotherapy, orphan drugs, vaccines, OTC drugs and n...
Madeleine Hodgson is an associate in our intellectual property group, assisting clients with creating, managing, and enforcing intellectual property assets in Canada and around the world. Ms. Hodgson advises clients on patent, trademark, copyright, industrial design, advertising, licensing, litigation, research and development, collaboration, and transactional matters. She assists clients in British Columbia Superior Court and Federal Court on trademark, copyright, patent and confidential inf...
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