Kenneth Sharpe

Biography

Kenneth E. Sharpe practises in all areas of intellectual property law, including prosecution, litigation and transactional work, with particular emphasis on the pharmaceuticals sector. Mr. Sharpe is Ottawa Chair of our Intellectual Property Group.

He has represented clients in numerous disputes involving issues of patent, trade-mark, copyright and industrial design infringement. He has represented clients in several major patent infringement and impeachment actions in the chemical field, particularly involving pharmaceuticals. He has appeared before the trial divisions of the Ontario courts as well as the Federal Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal.

Mr. Sharpe has extensive experience prosecuting both patent and trade-mark applications and has appeared before the Opposition Board of the Trade-marks Office in many hearings. Mr. Sharpe has also provided opinions on infringement and validity of intellectual property rights. He has counselled a number of major international pharmaceutical, petrochemical and consumer products companies as well as numerous smaller companies in diverse fields of technology on patent infringement and validity.

Mr. Sharpe has also conducted due diligence inquiries and provided analyses of intellectual property portfolios in corporate transactions.

Year of Call

• Ontario Bar 1980

Year of Registration

• Canada (trade-marks) 1980

Law School

• LL.B., Queen's University, 1978

EDUCATION

• B.Sc., Chemical Engineering, Queen's Univeristy, 1975

Selected Client Work

• Currently representing a major international drug company in an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada
• Novopharm Ltd. v. Wellcome Foundation Ltd. et al and Apotex Inc. v. Wellcome Foundation Ltd. et al, [2002] 4 S.C.R. 153.
• Novopharm Ltd. v. Wellcome Foundation Ltd. et al and Apotex Inc. v. Wellcome Foundation Ltd. et al, (2002), 10 C.P.R. (4d) 65 (F.C.A.).
• Molnylke AB v. Kimberly-Clark of Canada Ltd. (1991), 36 C.P.R. (3d) 493 (F.C.A.).
• Doral Boats Ltd. v. Bayliner Marine Corp. (1986), 10 C.P.R. (3d) 289 (F.C.A.)
• G.D. Searle & Co. et al v. Merck & Co. et al (2002), 20 C.P.R. (4th) 103 (F.C.T.D.).
• Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. v. Bank of Montreal (1996), 66 C.P.R. (3d) 150 (F.C.T.D.).
• Unitel Communications Co. et al v. MCI Communications Corp. et al (1996), 72 C.P.R. (3d) 247 (F.C.T.D).
• J-Star Industries, Inc. v. Berg Equipment Co. (Canada) Ltd. (1992), 45 C.P.R. (3d) (F.C.T.D.).
• Procter & Gamble Co. v. Kimberly-Clark Ltd. [1991], 49 F.T.R. 31; 1991, 40 C.P.R. (3d) 1 (F.C.T.D.); 30 A.C.W.S. (3d) 893.
• Edmonds, sometimes carrying on business under the name Old Fashioned Lemonade v. Kealy, sometimes carrying on business under the name Festival Foods (1989), 27 C.P.R. (3d) 434 (F.C.T.D.).
• E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. v. Friction Division Products, Inc. (1989), 24 C.P.R. (3d) 252 (F.C.T.D.).
• Monarch Marking Systems Inc. v. Glenwood Label & Box Mfg. Ltd. (1988), 21 C.P.R. (3d) 246 (F.C.T.D.)
• Bayliner Marine Corp. v. Doral Boats Ltd. (1987), 15 C.P.R. (3d) 201 (F.C.T.D.).
• Poly Foam Products Ltd. v. Indusfoam Canada Inc. (1986), 12 C.P.R. (3d) 67 (F.C.T.D.).
• WSM, Inc. v. Slaight Communications Inc. (1986), 9 C.P.R. (3d) 395 (F.C.T.D.).
• WSM, Inc. v. Radio IWC Ltd. (1986) 9 C.P.R. (3d) 388 (F.C.T.D.).
• Digital Equipment Corporation et al v. C. Itoh & Co. (Canada) Ltd. (1985), 6 C.P.R. (3D) 511 (F.C.T.D.).
• Corning Glass Works v. Canada Wire and Cable Co. Ltd. (1983), 74 C.P.R. (2d) 105 (F.C.T.D.).
• Farbwerke Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft Vormals Meister Lucius & Bruning v. Halocarbon (Ontario) Ltd. (1983), 74 C.P.R. (2d) 95 (F.C.T.D.).
• Carling O'Keefe Breweries of Canada Ltd. v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc. (No. 1), Carling O'Keefe Breweries of Canada Ltd. v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc. (No. 2), Carling O'Keefe Breweries of Canada Ltd. v. Labatt Brewing Co. Ltd. et al (1982), 68 C.P.R. (2d) 1 (F.C.T.D).
• Anheuser-Busch, Inc. v. Carling O'Keefe Breweries of Canada, Ltd. et al (1981), 58 C.P.R. (2d) 172 (F.C.T.D.).  
• Meredith & Finlayson v. Berg Equipment Investments Ltd. (1996), 72 C.P.R. (3d) 386 (T.M.O.B.).
• Helene Curtis, Inc. v. Belevedere International Inc. (1995), 62 C.P.R. (3d) 394 (T.M.O.B.).
• Helene Curtis, Inc. v. Belevedere International Inc. (1994), 58 C.P.R. (3d) 270 (T.M.O.B.). 
• Osmose Wood Preserving Co. of America, Inc. v. Rentokil Group Ltd. (1988), 20 C.P.R. (3d) 524 (T.M.O.B.).
• Jean Cacheral, S.A. v. Reitman's Canada Ltd. (1984), 3 C.P.R. (3d) 459 (T.M.O.B.).
• Wynrush Restaurant Ltd. v. A&W Food Services of Canada Ltd. (1983), 81 C.P.R. (2d) 129 (T.M.O.B.).
• Hustler Magazine, Inc. v. Wells (1982), 75 C.P.R. (2d) 214 (T.M.O.B.).
• Re Ciba-Geigy Canada Ltd. (HABITROL) (1995), Patented Medicine Prices Review Board Bulletin, No. 15, pg. 15

Publications

• Canadian Trade-Mark Law From A Foreigner's Perspective, Intellectual Property Journal (Vol. 3, No. 2, June 1987)
• Written Submissions - The Art of Effective Advocacy, Canadian Intellectual Property Review (Vol. 6, No. 1, October 1989)

Speaking Engagements

• Law Society of Upper Canada
• IPIC
• International Trademark Association

Memberships and Activities

• Law Society of Upper Canada
• Intellectual Property Institute of  Canada
• Canadian Bar Association
• International Trademark Association
• Trade-mark law instructor at the Law Society of Upper Canada