Jordana Sanft is a partner, intellectual property (IP) lawyer, patent agent and trademark agent at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. Jordana Sanft is recognized as treating the attorney client relationship as a true partnership, providing practical and strategic advice and obtaining successful results in and out of the courtroom. She is recognized as a leading patent litigator in Canada.
Ms. Sanft practises in all areas of intellectual property law, with an emphasis on complex patent and trademark litigation. She has extensive experience in the life sciences space and in pharmaceutical patent litigation. She regularly works with clients across industry sectors concerning the protection of their intellectual property portfolios and enforcement of their intellectual property rights. Ms. Sanft has an interest in legal issues at the intersection of IP and disruptive technologies. Ms. Sanft has appeared as counsel before the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and specialized tribunals such as the Trade-marks Opposition Board. She is a registered patent and trademark agent.
- Why did you choose a career in IP?
I chose a career in IP because I believe that this area of law is challenging, ever-evolving and at the forefront of innovation and creativity. In working in this space I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with incredibly talented and smart people such as inventors of life-saving medicines and companies that advance science and art. It is professionally rewarding to be working in this area.
- What is a “must read” IP article/book?
There is no single article or book that to my mind is a must read for IP. Rather I believe that you should be constantly reading and keeping abreast of changes in the law and key trends. It is also important to read texts/articles/blogs with different view points to fully understand the landscape and analyse and evaluate the issues.
- Why should a prospective law student consider a career in IP?
I think that this is a great area to practice in as indicated in Question 1. Further, even though IP is a “specialty” area, within IP there are many areas of practice from patents to trademarks, from commercial IP to litigation to prosecution and IP issues cross cut all industry sectors. There is a lot of variety. The IP legal bar in Canada has many great practitioners and is a great legal community to be a part of. Additionally, in today’s day and age where disruptive technology and innovation are key business trends this is a great time to become an IP practitioner.
- Are there unique challenges to women in IP and as inventors?
Canada has started to make a stronger commitment towards innovation and IP which will hopefully start to build a stronger foundation for everyone to secure, protect and commercialize their IP in Canada. Understanding IP and knowing your rights is important for everyone. Women do face greater challenges because of a lack of role models, sponsors, mentors and allies. However we are starting to see more attention being paid to this issue and are starting to properly recognize the incredible women leaders in IP and innovation. Women interested in a career in IP should be encouraged to pursue that path and look for supporters to guide you in meeting your goals. Additionally we should start with young boys and girls and encourage them both equally to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Opening up opportunity at the early stages of education and life is the best way to encourage future leaders.
