Neil Padgett, PEng
Lawyer, Patent & Trademark Agent
Desk +1 647.479.7787
Mobile +1 437.928.2143
Fax +1 647.846.1900
I'm Neil, a patent and trademark attorney in Toronto, Canada.
My professional interests centre on the protection of intellectual property, with a particular emphasis on the protection of computer-implemented inventions.
I have drafted dozens of patent applications ranging from simple mechanical devices to complex software innovations.
I currently work in-house as a part of the legal team at Shopify. At Shopify, my role as Associate General Counsel, Intellectual Property spans all aspects of IP. A particular focus of my work is supervising the drafting and filing of new patent applications for Shopify and directing the prosecution of Shopify's worldwide patent portfolio. I also contribute to the protection and enforcement of Shopify's other IP including its trademarks.
Before I entered the world of law and intellectual property, I worked in software engineering at Microsoft and Red Hat on distributed systems and database systems variously as a developer and as a PM.
QUALIFICATIONS
Ontario Bar, 2015
New York Bar, 2016
Licensed Canadian Patent Agent, 2018
Licensed Canadian Trademark Agent, 2019
Professional Engineer (Ontario), 2022
Registered to Practice Before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
EDUCATION
University of Toronto, BASc (Computer Engineering), 2003
University of Washington, MS (Computer Science & Engineering), 2009
University of Toronto, JD, 2014
MEMBERSHIPS
Associate, Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC)
Director, Board of Directors
Member and Board Liason, Patents Committee
Member and Board Liason, Designs Committee
Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Member, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)