Jonas Gifford

Where passion for innovation meets high-tech understanding

For over 15 years, Jonas has been trusted by a wide variety of clients in the technology sector — including start-ups, universities, small to mid-size enterprises, and multinational companies — with timely patent prosecution and strategic advice tailored to their specific protection needs. 

Jonas is the Practice Group Leader for Patents: Engineering, Information and Communications Technology (EICT) at Smart & Biggar. He frequently assists clients of associate firms in the United States and elsewhere to obtain valuable intellectual property in Canada.

Jonas has a long track record of skillfully and successfully assisting clients with obtaining and asserting commercially valuable patent protection in electrical, computer, and mechanical fields, in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia. His practice also includes assisting clients with seeking valuable industrial design protection and providing strategic advice which is expertly tailored to meet specific protection and other business needs. He is trusted by clients to leverage their intellectual property rights and maximize their opportunities to achieve their business goals. 

Clients appreciate that Jonas not only shares the same enthusiasm and passion for their innovative ideas, but that his advanced knowledge of physics and computer science allows him to understand their inventions more efficiently and comprehensively to allow him to provide pragmatic and cost-effective solutions to complex problems. He is proactive in his approach to patent protection and regularly provides opinions related to validity, infringement, and freedom to operate to assist clients with assessing patent and design rights of others.

Creating and protecting value domestically and abroad

Jonas’ exceptional skills and expertise have been recognized year after year by clients and peers as one of the leading IP Law practitioners in his field, and he has been honoured with a number of professional accolades. 

Since 2015 he has been named in The Best Lawyers in Canada under Intellectual Property Law (2015-2023). He was also included as one of Canada’s 2015 Rising Stars — Leading Lawyers Under 40 by Lexpert.

Jonas was also recognized as Rising Star (2015-2018) and as a Leading Patent Practitioner (2019) by LMG Expert Guides, under Patents. He was recognized as a World IP Review (WIPR) Leader in 2023 and has been ranked by The Canadian Legal LEXPERT® Directory since 2023.

Jonas is a contributor to British Columbia Business Disputes and Advising British Columbia Businesses by the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia. Jonas has also taught patent law at the University of Victoria since 2013.