514-349-2961

...

Montreal

English, French

Jean-Sébastien Brière

Lawyer & Patent Agent

Jean-Sébastien joined MBM in March 2025. He is a lawyer (Quebec and New York State Bars) and a Canadian Patent Agent with over twenty-five years of experience in intellectual property law, particularly in litigation and commercial transactions involving IP assets in Canada and the United States. He is also an arbitrator/mediator with the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Arbitration and Mediation Centre.

From the start of his career, Jean-Sébastien has been involved in several patent, copyright and trademark infringement cases (mainly before the Federal Court of Canada, but also abroad), as well as in several commercial disputes arising from technology transfers or joint/institutional research activities (notably in arbitration proceedings).

In addition, he regularly negotiates and drafts agreements concerning the exploitation or transfer of technologies, notably in the context of development projects and licensing agreements. Jean-Sébastien is often consulted as an IP advisor in commercial transactions involving significant technological assets, whether in connection with mergers, acquisitions or venture capital financing.

Drawing on his diverse professional experience, Jean-Sébastien assists numerous start-ups and entrepreneurs in developing and exploiting their intellectual property portfolios. For many years, he was also an IP coach for a major startup/technology incubator.

Finally, Jean-Sébastien is passionate about teaching and outreach. Since 2007, he has taught IP and patent law at several universities. He also regularly provides advanced training on U.S., Canadian, and European patent law in various contexts and is frequently invited to give seminars on various IP topics, including developing successful IP strategies, to tech entrepreneurs.

In his spare time, Jean-Sébastien is a music aficionado, an avid reader, and a wine enthusiast. He also considers himself an amateur athlete, who is regularly showing his lack of skills in many sports.

Practice Areas

• Patents
• Copyrights
• Industrial Design
• Trade Secrets
• Litigation & Dispute Resolution
• Licensing & IP Transactions
• Due Diligence

Technology Areas

• Sport Equipment
• Clean Tech
• Communications
• IT
• Manufacturing
• Aerospace
• Recreational Vehicles

Education

• Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) - Laval University 
• D.E.S.S. in North American Common Law - University of Montreal

Qualifications

• Registered Canadian Patent Agent (2002)
• Admitted to the Quebec Bar (1999)
• Admitted to the New York State Bar (2022)
• Arbitrator/mediator with the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Arbitration and Mediation Centre (2023)

Professional Involvement

• College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents (CPATA)
• Member of the CPATA’s Investigations Committee
• Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC)

Publications (substantive papers)

• Une introduction aux procédures quasi judiciaires permettant d’invalider un brevet aux États-Unis, dans Développements récents en matière de propriété intellectuelle et en droit du divertissement (Vol. 542), Montréal, Thomson Reuters Canada Limitée (Éd. Yvon Blais), 2023, pp. 187 à 222.
• Les outils à la portée du plaideur pour un meilleur accès à la justice en matière de propriété intellectuelle, dans Développements récents en droit de la propriété intellectuelle (Vol. 406), Montréal, Thomson Reuters Canada Limitée (Éd. Yvon Blais), 2015, pp. 369 à 439.
• L’année 2014 en quelques décisions portant sur des brevets non pharmaceutiques,  dans Les cahiers de propriété intellectuelle (Mai 2015, Vol. 27 no. 2), Cowansville, Éd. Yvon Blais, 2015.
• L’Encadrement international de la propriété industrielle – Parties I et II, dans Les cahiers de propriété intellectuelle (Vol. 15 no. 3 et Vol. 16, no. 1), Cowansville, Éd. Yvon Blais, 2003, pp. 735 à 804 et pp. 15 à 59.
• Importations parallèles : quand les marchés gris nous en font voir de toutes les couleurs!, dans Développements récents en droit de la propriété intellectuelle (Vol. 177), Cowansville, Éd. Yvon Blais, 2002, pp. 121 à 214.