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Ahmed Elmallah

Intellectual Property Lawyer at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Counsel, Patent Agent, Trademark Agent

Lorelei Graham

Food and Agribusiness Lawyer, IP Lawyer, Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Partner

Edward (Ted) Yoo

Intellectual Property Lawyer and Canada/US Patent and Trademark Agent at Bennett Jones Edmonton

Partner, Patent Agent, Trademark Agent

Recent disputes involving xAI, OpenAI and a former engineer highlight how quickly job transitions can escalate into trade-secret and IP risks. This article explains why every business needs a clear confidential information and intellectual property (CI&amp;IP) governance policy&mdash;and how such policies help prevent disputes, protect proprietary assets and ensure compliance with third-party obligations.

Why Every Business and StartUp Needs an Employee Governance Policy

X.AI Corp. v. OpenAI—Why Every Business (and Start-Up) Needs an Employee Governance Policy for Managing Confidential Business Information and IP Risk

Andrew Bozzato

Corporate, M&A, Securities Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Michelle Galati

Corporate Commercial and Securities Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Associate

Investment in agribusiness experienced a boom in the early 2020s, when investor enthusiasm for food security, supply chain resilience and agricultural innovation surged in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Venture capital deployed unprecedented levels of funding into agrifood technology, while private equity groups targeted food processing, logistics and packaging platforms. At its peak, Canadian venture funding across the economy reached record highs in 2021 and 2022, and agribusiness was a direct beneficiary of that exuberance.

AI and Tech Are Powering Agribusiness Deal Flow

Dominique Carli

Commercial Transactions Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Wittington Investments has launched a C$100 million fund to support Canadian food producers with equity or debt financing. Success depends on legal readiness, from IP protection to governance, ensuring businesses are prepared to attract and secure investment.

Legal Readiness for Food Producers Navigating Wittington Investments C100M Fund

Legal Readiness for Food Producers: Navigating Wittington Investments’ C$100M Fund

It is clear that the global push for green innovation is no longer just aspirational, it is structural. Over the past decade, countries around the world have implemented a mosaic of policies to accelerate environmentally friendly technologies, many of which intersect with intellectual property. But intellectual property (IP) is just one piece of a much larger innovation puzzle.
Increasingly, we see that financial incentives, regulatory frameworks and IP protections are working in tandem to drive green agri-tech. Incentives can include tax credits, substantial grants supporting climate-smart agriculture, subsidies for carbon farming, or &ldquo;patent box&rdquo; regimes offering reduced tax rates on income from green IP, all of which then shape the behavior of startups and researchers alike. However increasingly the conversation is expanding beyond patents and grants into including carbon markets.

Fast Tracks and Green Gaps Part V

From Carrots to Carbon Credits: How the World is Powering Green Agri-Tech Beyond IP

Katherine Booth

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Vancouver

Nina Butz

Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

In RateMDs Inc. v. Bleuler, 2025 BCCA 329, the BC Court of Appeal overturned certification of a proposed privacy class action, finding that the plaintiff's novel claims that use of health professionals' names violated their privacy and amounted to commercial exploitation under provincial privacy statutes were bound to fail.

BC Court of Appeal dismisses proposed privacy class action

BC Court of Appeal Dismisses Proposed Privacy Class Action; Finds Use of Professionals' Names Was Not Commercial Exploitation 

William S. Osler KC

Capital Markets, Securities, M&A and Corporate Governance Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Denise D. Bright

Public and Private Company Financial Transactions and Securities Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Partner 

Olu Akinniyi

Articling Student

Recent amendments to Alberta&rsquo;s Securities Act strengthen the Alberta Securities Commission&rsquo;s ability to address financial misinformation and protect investors. Enacted through the Financial Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2), the changes expand the definition of forward-looking information and grant the ASC new authority to temporarily halt trading where misleading or inaccurate information is being disseminated. While aimed at curbing harmful online promotion, including by &ldquo;finfluencers,&rdquo; the amendments also have important implications for reporting issuers and their disclosure practices.

Alberta Expands ASC Powers to Address Financial Misinformation

Laura James

Corporate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Vancouver

Rebecca Burnand

Corporate Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Madison Sutherland

Newly released market data out of the US shows the demand for beauty products remained strong in 2025 despite pressure on overall consumer spending. Beauty M&amp;A deal volume in the US decreased slightly this year due to tariff and trade concerns, but analysts are optimistic for a busier 2026 on the dealmaking front.

Whats Shaping MA in the Beauty Industry

Glow and Grow: What's Shaping M&A in the Beauty Industry

Ethan Z. Schiff

Commercial Litigation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Toronto

Maisah Syed

In David v. Loblaw Companies Limited, the Ontario Court of Appeal confirms that a certification denial for failure to plead a cause of action is final and barred by res judicata. Absent narrow exceptions, plaintiffs cannot amend pleadings to relitigate certification and must pursue an appeal.

Ontario Court of Appeal Says that Plaintiffs Cannot Amend Instead of Appeal

Daron K. Naffin

Energy, Environmental/Regulatory and Expropriation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Tim Myers

Regulatory, Environmental, Aboriginal and Expropriation Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

Thomas Machell

Regulatory Lawyer at Bennett Jones Calgary

The Alberta Energy Regulator has released new editions of Directive 071 and Manual 026, significantly expanding emergency preparedness and response requirements. This post outlines the key changes, including mandatory Emergency Management Programs, expanded scope across resource sectors, enhanced hazard analysis standards, and what approval holders should do ahead of the February 2, 2026 effective date.

Bennett Jones Top 10 Trademark and IP Firms in Canada

From the Same Authors