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Paula Clancy Partner Lawyer, Trademark Agent
Certified Specialist - IP (Trademarks)

Speaks:  English, French, Spanish

Year of Call: 1996 - Ontario

Primary phone: +1 613-786-0137

Secondary phone: +1 613-797-1413

Fax: +1 613-563-9869

Email: paula.clancy@gowlingwlg.com

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Primary office:  Ottawa

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Paula Clancy

Paula Clancy is a partner and trademark agent in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office. She is a member of the Intellectual Property Group and her practice focuses on trademarks.

Paula has more than 28 years of experience as a corporate/commercial and trademark lawyer, and she is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in IP (Trademarks). Her background in business law and intellectual property law is a valuable asset to her clients.

Paula is very active in the intellectual property community, and currently serves as president and chair of the board for the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC), as well as a director of the International Trademark Association (INTA). She is a member of council of the Canadian chapter of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI Canada), and serves as the Canadian national delegate for the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI).

Paula works with in-house counsel as an extension of their legal team to assist with trademark filing strategies, global portfolio management, and procurement. Her clients range from start-ups and SMEs to prominent public companies, including a number of global brands. These clients operate in industries including, technology, fashion, consumer goods, cosmetics, food and beverage, sports, banking, manufacturing, and life sciences. Paula also has experience working with women-owned and minority-owned businesses.

Paula has been ranked for 12 consecutive years as one of the world's top IP lawyers in World Trademark Review's WTR1000, and has recently been recognized in the 2023 editions of Best Lawyers in Canada and The Legal 500 Canada as a leading individual in IP. Paula is a past recipient of the Ottawa Business Journal's Top 40 Under Forty Award and Distinctive Women Magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She was a finalist for the Women's Business Network's Businesswoman of the Year Award.

Prior to re-joining Gowling WLG (she practised with the firm from 1994-2008), Paula founded and operated a boutique intellectual property firm in Ottawa. Her firm was ranked in the WTR1000 as a leading Canadian trademark prosecution firm; was certified by WBE Canada as a Women Business Enterprise; and was selected as an Amazon IP Accelerator firm. As a founder and entrepreneur, Paula has picked up valuable insights that help her effectively advise start-ups and SMEs. She knows from experience how to help them navigate their pain points and challenges.

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Career & Recognition

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Memberships

  • International Trademark Association (INTA)
  • Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC)
  • Interamerican Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI)
  • The International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI)
  • Women Presidents' Organization (WPO)
  • The Law Office Management Association (TLOMA)

Insights & Resources

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Workers working at an organic farm cultivating green vegetables Articles
11 April 2024 Trademark tactics for greentech innovators: Five tips for kickstarting your brand
food label wine Articles
23 February 2024 Understanding geographical indications: Use and protection for food products
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27 June 2023 One giant leap for brand owners – a report from INTA 2023

Featured news

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Text that reads 2024 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory recognizes 234 Gowling WLG lawyers
05 March 2024 2024 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory recognizes 234 Gowling WLG lawyers
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07 February 2024 Gowling WLG recognized among the top international firms in WTR 1000 2024
Photo featuring headshots of Rob Bridgman, Paula Clancy, Eric Macramalla and Christopher Van Barr
29 November 2023 Four Gowling WLG partners win 2024 Lexology Client Choice Awards

Author: "O'Brien's Encyclopedia of Forms" Trademarks Chapter, Thomson Reuters, January 2021.

Author: "Canada's New Trademark Law: A Practical Update for UK Brand Owners", published in CITMA Review (2019).

Genuine Trademark Use, author of Canada Chapter published by Kluwer (AIPPI) in 2018.

Getting the Deal Through: Trademarks 2017, author of Canada Chapter.

Moderator: Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada) 2021 Annual Conference, November 9, 2021: "Emotional Intelligence: Today's Leadership Superpower."

Moderator: Women Business Enterprises Canada Council (WBE Canada) 2021 Annual Conference, November 9, 2021: "Export Development Canada - Build Your Dream Team: Using Networking and Partnership to Accelerate International Business Growth."

Presenter: University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Law, November 5, 2021: "IP Strategy Bootcamp: Trademarks."

Moderator: Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, November 4, 2021: "Forging a New Path in the Protection of Indigenous Intellectual Property: Indigenous Culture

Lecturer: Faculty of Law University of Western Ontario, March 5, 2021: "The Madrid System: A One-Stop Solution For Global Trademark Protection."

Presenter: IPIC Webinar, Ottawa, Ontario, February 26, 2021: "Can't We All Just Get Along? Consents and Coexistence Agreements in Canada and the U.S."

Presenter: McGill Faculty of Continuing Education – Understanding Trademarks – An Introductory Course, July 9, 2020 – "The Basics of Trademark Use in Canada."

Speaker: AIPPI World Congress, London, England, September 17, 2019 - "Genuine Use in Canada."

Presenter: UK Chartered Institute of Trademark Attorneys (CITMA) Webinar, July 16, 2019 - "A Year of Change: Canada's New Trademark Law."

Lecturer: McGill Faculty of Continuing Education - Understanding Trademarks - An Introductory Course, July 2019 -2021

Presenter: IPIC Webinar, Ottawa, Ontario, April 17, 2019 - "Madrid - A Practical Guide to Filing & Prosecution."

Presenter: IPIC Webinar, Ottawa, Ontario, April 4, 2019 "Trademark Case Law Series: Opposition Issues."

Moderator: IPIC Webinar, Ottawa, Ontario, November 27, 2018 - "Introduction to Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions."

Moderator: IPIC Annual General Meeting, October 12, 2018 – "Brexit Update – CITMA Perspective", with Tania Clark, President of the UK Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys.

Moderator: IPIC Webinar, Ottawa, Ontario, August 23, 2018 – "General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) – What it Means for Canadian Businesses."

Moderator: IPIC Webinar, Ottawa, Ontario, March 30, 2016 – "EU Trademark Reform and Nice Class Headings – What Canadian Owners of EU Trademarks Need to Know."

Presenter: ASIPI XVIII Congress, Punta del Este, Uruguay – December 4, 2012 – "Profesión y Calidad de Vida,"

Moderator: ASIPI Conference, Santiago, Chile – November 2010 –Women's Committee Breakfast featuring Chilean Minister Carolina Schmidt.

Presenter: ASIPI Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – November 2006 "Universal and Sporting Symbols" Roundtable.