The Delta Hotel’s Grand Ballroom was buzzing with conversations as entrepreneurs and industry leaders gathered to discuss intellectual property (IP) last month. On February 28, North Forge hosted its inaugural IP Summit, bringing together industry experts, entrepreneurs, and legal professionals from all over Canada, and a few international founders, for a day of insights, discussions, and networking. 

In an era driven by innovation, asserting ownership of your ideas becomes crucial for propelling your business forward and captivating investors. North Forge has set out to eliminate any misconceptions about intellectual property and bring awareness to the federally funded program, ElevateIP, during its first IP Summit. 

The Intellectual Property Summit was a huge success and provided an immersive agenda for attendees with activities such as a legal lounge, where selected individuals were provided one-on-one sessions with IP specialists and speaker discussions sharing diverse perspectives on intellectual property.

With an impressive lineup of speakers for the summit, Joanna Griffiths of Knix and Kt by Knix served as the event’s keynote speaker. Joanna started her presentation with an anecdote of her humble beginnings in the music industry. While keeping the audience on their toes, Griffiths cited the Backstreet Boys as the start of her entrepreneurial journey in creating an innovative (and patented) intimate clothing line which eventually led her to build one of the most successful female-led companies in Canada.

The highlights of the summit included: 

• The Insights into the Canadian Landscape panel, moderated by North Forge’s Joelle Foster, had IP Specialists; Silvia de Sousa (TDS LLP), Ryan Dupuis (Ade & Co Inc.), and Robert Werbowsky (University of Manitoba), discuss the importance of strategizing your company’s intellectual property and the multiple different resources available for start-ups. 
• The Understanding and Protecting Traditional Knowledge, explored the complexities surrounding the intersection of Western intellectual property rights and Indigenous Traditional Knowledge. The panel, moderated by Diane Roussin of (The Winnipeg Boldness Project), had Tia Laroque-Graham (SIIT), Cody Lewis (CCAB), and Benjamin Feagin Jr. (AgriTech North) speak about the risk of exploitation without the proper IP laws to protect Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expression.
• The Navigating IP Strategies and Learning from Experience panel shared the perspective of founders and an experienced IP strategist. Hosted by Mari Mathews (Spring), the panel made up of Mick Lautt (Scimar), Rob Ranson (Win-Shield Medical Devices), and Jacquie Neve (FUEL Innovation Design & Manufacturing Inc.) discussed key threats they experienced and advice for attendees when developing their IP strategy. 
• Houston Brown (In House IP) concluded the summit with a free patent seminar providing the attendees with tips and tricks on how to file a patent application. 

The next summit is set to be announced for 2025, but in the meantime, those interested in learning more about the ElevateIP program and how they can get up to $100,000 to develop and implement their IP strategy can visit northforge.ca/elevateip.

*North Forge is an ElevateIP Recipient, a national program of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, leading in intellectual property supports for startups in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.