T. Andrew Currier

CEO
BSEE, LL.B., P.Eng.
Patent Agent (Can/US)
Trademark Agent (Can)
Lawyer (Ont)
+1-416-920-8170 Ext. 109
+1-647-812-1130
+1-617-655-7085

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Andrew is a recognized leader in intellectual property, combining experience in industry, law and academia before co-founding PCK. Andrew’s industry experience includes General Counsel for a publicly-traded flat-panel display company, IP counsel for a Silicon Valley start-up, engineer for the automotive industry and control systems. In law, Andrew practised for several years with three of Canada’s national firms. In academia, Andrew held a teaching appointment as Adjunct Professor at Western University in London Ontario, teaching patent law from 2000-2007. Cited by the Supreme Court of Canada, he is also co-author (with Stephen Perry) of Canadian Patent Law (4th ed. LexisNexis, 2021) the first text on Canadian patent law by practitioners in over thirty years when the first edition was published in 2012. In 2022, the fourth edition was cited repeatedly by the Supreme Court of Canada in Nova Chemicals Corp. v. Dow Chemical Co. ([2022] SCC 43).

Andrew combines the traditions of professional excellence with modern business savvy. As co-founder of PCK, Andrew spearheaded several innovations in professional practice management, notably PCK’s paperless practice which includes state-of-the-art electronic workflow and billing engines, a subject on which Andrew speaks regularly. This work has placed PCK on the forefront in the use of advanced software to efficiently deliver tier-1 professional services using transparent, “CFO-friendly” cost management tools that focus on client value rather than opaque billable-hours.

Andrew’s breadth is expressed through his practice, as he counsels clients on all aspects of intellectual property, including strategy, invention mining, branding, portfolio management, commercialization, litigation and dispute resolution, built on a core foundation of excellence in originating patent and trademark preparation, filing and prosecution. His clients span the range of start-ups to large enterprises, and he takes pride in bringing his skills to the corporate journey all the way from founding to scaling and maturity.

Andrew Currier’s practice includes a heavy emphasis on corporate IP strategy. Andrew views IP services as forms of practical barrier-to-entry tools that can be purchased from IP attorneys, not as expensive arcane legal instruments devoid of practical purpose. Andrew brings several years of experience in building and operating businesses and utilizes those skills to assess what intellectual property services, such as patents and trademarks, may be acquired to supplement organic barriers-to-entry, such as speed to market, know how, and cost management.   His process involves working with C-suite team members using existing corporate strategy materials such as business plans, investor pitch decks, and corporate strategy documents.  Andrew analyzes those materials and identifies appropriate patent, trademark and other IP programs that match the corporate business objectives. Andrew then concludes his process with budget proposals and statements-of-work surrounding the acquisition of IP services, presented within the context of the overall corporate financial vision. The C-suite team is then equipped to assess those options in a transparent fashion and plan the future of the business and the acquisition of IP services with relative certainty.

In academia, Andrew held an appointment as Adjunct Professor teaching patent law at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law in 2015. He also held this appointment at Western University, London, Ontario from 2000 to 2007. He has also acted as a referee for the UBC Law Review Society and is a volunteer IP mentor for the Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program, Ryerson University (“CEIE Program”).

Passionate about diversity, Andrew served as a Vice-Chair of the IPO Women in IP Law Committee and was an active member of Black Unity Congress during his undergraduate studies at Kettering University. In Toronto, Andrew regularly volunteers to provide mentoring and seminars for youth members of Roots Community Services.

Andrew Currier was elected to the Board of Directors of the College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents (CPATA), 2022.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Laws, University of Western Ontario
Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Kettering University

PATENTS ISSUED

US11227095, 2022, Automated Dynamic Document Generator
US11500902, 2022, Method, System And Apparatus For Intermediating Database Updates
US11526519, 2022, System And Method For Automatic Docketing And Data Entry
US11704302, 2023, Method, System And Apparatus For Processing Database Updates

AWARD

Entrepreneurial Achievement Award, Kettering University Alumni, 2020

MEMBER

Barrister and Solicitor, Law Society of Ontario
Professional Engineer, Professional Engineers of Ontario
College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents, Board of Directors (CPATA)
American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO)
International Trademark Association (INTA)

PUBLICATIONS

National Magazine, The Canadian Bar Association, Spring 2015
Canadian Patent Law, LexisNexis Canada, 2012, Second Edition 2014, Third Edition 2018, Fourth Edition 2021 – Co-author with Stephen J. Perry
Image-Guided Interventions, Saunders Elsevier, Vol. 1, USA, 2008
Chapter 15, Intellectual Property Management
Transgenic Mice in Transgenic Fields, Co-author with Jessica Lumière, Patent World (Informa Law), Issue 160, pp. 13 – 15, March 2004
The Impact of Harvard Mouse on the Canadian Law Pertaining to Statutory Subject Matter, 19 CIPR 219, 2003
The Canadian Action to Restrain Threats of Legal Proceedings, Patent World (Intellectual Property Publishing Limited), pp. 33 – 37, March 1996
Canadian Intellectual Property Office Grapples with Business Method Patents – Co-author with Arya Ghadimi and Stephen J. Perry
IPO’s International Patent Committee Newsletter, September 2013

REPRESENTATIVE WORK

Thomson Reuters’ Intellectual Property Cases and Litigator Service, Fall, 2018; Federal Court of Appeal Decision in Group III Ltd. V. Travelway Group International Ltd., Leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada refused (December 9, 2020).

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Law Society of Ontario, January 2024. Co-chair, 28th Intellectual Property Law: The Year in Review
IPO Annual Meeting, September 2023. Panelist, Mental Health in the Legal Profession
Zhejiang High-level IP Training Program, Sponsored by Zhejiang Provincial Administration for Market Regulation, Co-organized by Zhejiang Provincial S&T Cooperation Center, October 11, 2021. Corporate IP Strategy and Practical Business
AIPLA Online Program, October 6, 2021. Writing a Specification That Satisfies the Requirements of Multiple Jurisdictions – A Canadian Perspective
IPIC Webinar, September 17, 2018. Ethics in Patent and Trademark Prosecution
CBA IP Day, May 31, 2018. Panel member: AstraZeneca v Apotex SCC decision (2017 SCC 36)
University of Toronto, Centre for Innovation Law and Policy, Sixth Annual Patent Colloquium,  November 3, 2017. Panel member: Comity, Stare Decisis, and the Optimal Development of Patent Doctrine
The Commons Institute, November 23, 2015. Preserving the Integrity of the Patent System
ITAC, October 7, 2015. IP Strategies for SMEs
GRIBOI, May 18/19, 2015. The Entrepreneur Scientist Series: NDA, Patents, Trademarks
IPIC 2013, The IP Practitioner’s Office of the 21st Century. Transitioning to Paperless Workflow: Automation Tools and Cultural Issues

IN THE MEDIA

Toronto Star,  August 10, 2015. How Facebook could affect your chances of getting a loan

Andrew Currier CEO of PCK IP on Becoming an Intellectual Property Thought Leader