My Background and Focus

As a Montreal native, Deborah studied at McGill University, where she earned both her B.Sc. and M.Sc., specializing in biochemistry and environmental toxicology. She then went on to pursue her law degree in the United Kingdom at the University of Leeds and thereafter moved to Canada’s capital, where she joined the MBM team in 2016.

Deborah’s practice focuses on general intellectual property litigation, with an emphasis on trademark and copyright disputes. In a complementary manner, Deborah also focuses on pure trademark law. Her areas of expertise include strategic trademark guidance and counselling, trademark portfolio management and enforcement. Deborah acts on behalf of Canadian as well as foreign clients before the Federal Courts, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Further, she frequently collaborates with foreign associates to secure international trademark protection for her clients.

In practical terms, Deborah has experience at all stages of litigation, including pleadings, discovery, witness preparation, cross-examination and hearings. Likewise, her trademark practice includes clearance searches, trademark prosecution, opposition proceedings, expungement/cancellation proceedings and licensing.

Crafting agreements related to intellectual property is one of her strong suits. In addition to licensing agreements, Deborah is frequently involved in the creative construction and review of distribution agreements, joint-venture agreements, contest rules, and the like. She has even advocated for an exemption application under a governmental regulatory scheme before Health Canada, where her expertise in biochemical processes was heavily relied upon.

In addition, Deborah actively protects her clients’ brands through takedowns of infringing and counterfeit products on various worldwide online platforms. She has also participated in Uniform Domain-Name-Dispute-Resolution Policy proceedings.

When she is not enthusiastically championing trademark rights, Deborah is avidly travelling the world, soaking in all the art history and architecture she can, tasting new cuisines and wines, and embracing the magic in different cultures. She has a passion for learning, creating and designing, usually in the form of painting or something equally messy. Otherwise, she can be found at various vintage pop-up markets in Ottawa or hanging out with her husband.