Our Team of Professionals

Bayo Odutola, Managing Principal

Bayo Odutola has over 27 years of experience practicing intellectual property (IP) law. He handles all aspects of IP litigation (opposition, cancellation/expungement proceedings and domain name disputes), prosecution, acquisition, clearance and advice with a particular emphasis on trademarks, copyright, licensing and technology-related issues. He practices and has appeared before the Canadian Trademarks Office, the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal.

Bayo kick-started his legal career at a major global law firm, where he worked on complex litigation matters. Building on these experiences, he launched his own litigation practice, combining his BigLaw exposure with personalized client service. Providing assistance to clients both large and small, he has represented clients from Juno and Academy Award winners to chemical companies, chocolate manufacturers and pizzerias.

Bayo has also negotiated numerous licensing and settlement agreements, ensuring multiple parties can use their IP rights effectively and productively, as well as concluding various trademark and copyright lawsuits well before reaching discovery (or more expensive stages of litigation).  Bayo has worked with clients located in Ottawa, Toronto/the GTA, and across the country. He has also served as Canadian counsel to foreign companies seeking to enforce or defend their IP rights in Canada.

He is certified as a specialist in IP (Trademark/Copyright) Law by the Law Society of Ontario and has served on LSO’s Committee for the Certification of Specialists in Intellectual Property Law.

Bayo was also a member of the Federal Judicial Advisory Committee for Ontario – East & North (“FJAC”) from 2019-2023. During his tenure, he assessed all candidates seeking federal judicial appointments (Ontario Superior Court & Federal Courts) and provided recommendations to the Minister of Justice. As a former member of the FJAC, he now volunteers his time on a pro bono basis, providing informational sessions on the judicial appointment process.

Memberships

• Bar of Ontario, 1996
• Fellow of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC)
• Pharmaceutical Trademarks Group (PTMG)
• MARQUES, the Association of European Trade Mark Owners
• European Communities Trademark Association (ECTA)

Credentials

• Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Ottawa, 2003-2004
• Law Society of Ontario, 1996
• Registered Trademark Agent, 1996
• University of Ottawa, LL.B, 1994
• Université de Lausanne, B.C.L., 1990

Awards

• Ranked as a top trademark professional in the World Trademark Review 1000 (2014 and 2015 editions)
• Top Forty under 40 business people by the Ottawa Business Journal

Publications

• ExportWise magazine
• Author of the two volume authoritative loose leaf manual:
• Odutola on Canadian Trademark Practice, Vol. I: Prosecution
• Odutola on Canadian Trademark Practice, Vol. II: Opposition, Cancellation and Appeals

Julie Daet, Litigation Lawyer

Julie is an associate lawyer at OLLIP P.C., with a varied civil, commercial and intellectual property litigation practice (with an emphasis on judicial reviews and appeals), as well as contentious matters before the Trademarks Office/Trademarks Opposition Board. Julie also practices in preliminary dispute resolution when issues arise at the intersection of intellectual property and professional responsibility/negligence. She has extensive experience drafting opinions on a variety of substantive issues for submission with various professional regulatory bodies, tribunals and Courts.

Prior to completing her articles with the Firm, Julie received her Juris Doctor from the Faculty of Law, University of New Brunswick, and her Bachelor of Science from the University of Manitoba. Julie also serves as the Firm’s Recruitment Chair for OLLIP P.C.’s summer and articling student programs.

While in law school, she served as Research Assistant for UNB Law’s 1L Legal Advocacy Moot Program, and volunteered with Pro Bono Students Canada and UNB Student Union’s Legal Information Centre. Committed to gaining further exposure to legal advocacy, she volunteered with the Canadian Qualifying Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Moot Competition and Regional Qualifying Rounds of the Sopinka Cup Trial Advocacy Moot.

Julie regularly assists with cross-examinations in matters before the Trademarks Opposition Board and the Federal Court of Canada. She also regularly acts as co-counsel on applications for judicial review, cases of IP infringement, as well as appellate matters before the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal.

Representative Work

 Federal Court:

• RallySport Trilogy – Rallysport Direct LLC v 2424508 Ontario Ltd et al, 2019 FC 1524, 2020 FC 794, & 2020 FC 1115 – Acted for the Defendants, and assisted in successfully securing summary judgment, as well as reducing lump sum costs by more than 60%. RallySport Directwas one of the first Federal Court IP cases applying the principles for summary judgment post-Hryniak, and after the seminal case of Milano Pizza Ltd v 6034799 Canada Inc. RallySport continues to be cited with approval by the Federal Court for the principles of summary judgment. See Utah v Canada (Attorney General) and Winkler v Hendley.
• FCA US LLC (“Chrysler”) v Pentastar Transportation Ltd, 2019 FC 745 – Strategized, advised, and made submissions in judicial review, which clarified evidentiary principles in trademark proceedings, including when evidence is direct/personal knowledge vs hearsay.
• Pentastar Transport Ltd v FCA US LLC, 2020 FC 367 – Acted as co-counsel, Pentastar is the leading case on the applicable standard of review in an appeal of a decision of the Registrar of Trademarks, after the Supreme Court of Canada’s sweeping changes to principles of administrative law in Vavilov. Submissions made before the Court were selected for inclusion in Thomson Reuters’ IP Cases Court Precedents and LITIGATOR service.

Federal Court of Appeal:

• 2424508 Ontario Ltd v Rallysport Direct LLC, 2022 FCA 24 – Acted for the Appellants in an appeal of a copyright infringement summary judgment. The appeal clarified the law on copyright statutory damages, providing guidance on how high or low a burden must be met by a copyright owner to claim entitlement for statutory damages.
• 2424508 Ontario Ltd v Rallysport Direct LLC [Costs Appeal], A-106-21 [settled without personal appearance]

Trademarks Office / Trademarks Opposition Board:

• Dong Phuong Group Partnership v Shaoguan Risen Trading Corporation Ltd, 2022 TMOB 93
• Remitbee Incorporated v Remitly, Inc [Trademarks Opposition Board Decision pending]

Memberships

• Bar of Ontario, 2019
• County of Carleton Law Association, Ontario & Canadian Bar Associations
• Career Supports for Articling Students / Young Lawyers Working Group – Young Lawyers’ Division, CBA
• #LawNeedsWellbeingBecause Campaign Committee Member – Young Lawyers’ Division, CBA
• Member – U35 Alumni Advisory Council, University of New Brunswick

Credentials

• Law Society of Ontario, 2019
• Juris Doctor, University of New Brunswick, 2018
• Bachelor of Science, University of Manitoba, 2014

Karen Hansen – Retired

Karen Hansen is  a retired registered trademark agent.  She served as head of the Firm’s Trademark Prosecution and Industrial Design Group for many years.

Over the course of her 40-year career, she represented a wide range of clients from individually owned start-up companies to large multi-national corporations. Karen had extensive experience in all proceedings before the Canadian Trademarks Office, including applications to register trademarks, opposition proceedings, Section 45 expungement proceedings, and ownership changes. She also advised trademark owners on protecting their trademarks in foreign countries and arranged for registration of marks outside Canada.

She is a co-author of Odutola on Canadian Trademark Practice, published by Carswell, a Thomson Reuters business.

For new inquiries and continued assistance with trademark matters, please do not hesitate to reach out to us here.