Sheldon Burshtein is a Partner of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He practises in the Toronto office as a member of the Intellectual Property, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Sports & Entertainment and Franchising Groups.

Qualifications. Sheldon received his B. (Civ.) Eng. from McGill University and is a registered professional engineer in the province of Ontario. He also has two law degrees, his civil law B.C.L. and his common law LL.B., from McGill University. Sheldon is a member of The Law Society of Upper Canada and has been certified by The Law Society of Upper Canada (Province of Ontario) as a specialist in intellectual property (patent, trade-mark and copyright) law. He is registered as a patent agent and as a trade-mark agent in Canada. He is also registered to practise before the United States Patent and Trademark Office on behalf of Canadian applicants. Sheldon is a certified licensing professional.

Practice. Sheldon's work includes the clearance, prosecution, acquisition, enforcement and exploitation of patents, trade-marks, copyright, industrial designs and other forms of intellectual property. His practice emphasizes commercial transactions involving intellectual property and information technology, such as licensing and other transactions involving pharmaceuticals and life sciences, electronic commerce, and other technologies, as well as franchising. He is significantly involved in counselling on intellectual property matters.

Leader. Sheldon is a leader of the Intellectual Property and Technology Bar. Law Business Research's The International Who's Who of Patent Lawyers identified him as "the most frequently named Canadian" patent lawyer and The International Who's Who of Trademark Lawyers consistently ranks Sheldon among the 10 top trade-mark lawyers in the world. Managing Intellectual Property has referred to him as "the foremost copyright expert in Canada." PLC Cross-border Intellectual Property Handbook has selected him as the leading commercial intellectual property lawyer in Canada. The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers refers to him as an "excellent attorney" and a "leader in his field."

Canadian Recognition. Sheldon has been continuously listed in The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada from inception. He has been continuously rated among the most frequently recommended lawyers for "Intellectual Property" in The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory from inception, and is also recognized in the "Computer and Information Technology" and "Technology" categories. He has been continuously listed in The Best Lawyers in Canada in the "Intellectual Property" and "Technology" categories since inception. Sheldon was named in the Who's Who Legal: Canada 2010 special report for both "Patents" and "Trademarks." He is also referenced in the Canadian Who's Who. He has received a Special Recognition of Achievement Award from the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada.

International Recognition. Sheldon has been continuously ranked for "Intellectual Property" by Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business since inception. He has been named in Law Business Research's The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers and in both its "Patent" and "Trademark" categories. He has been honoured as an "Intellectual Property Luminary" by the publishers of Patent World, Trademark World and Copyright World. Sheldon has been selected by Mondaq as one of the "World's Leading Intellectual Property Lawyers." He was named an "Expert's Expert" by World Trademark Review. He has been ranked as one of the leading "Intellectual Property" experts in the PLC Cross-border Intellectual Property Handbook since inception. Sheldon has been referenced in the European Counsel Life Sciences Specialist 500 of the "Top-Ranking Life Sciences Lawyers Worldwide." He has been continuously named by Practical Law Company among the leading "Life Sciences Lawyers" since inception. He has been ranked by Practical Law Company as one of the leading "E-Commerce and Information Technology Lawyers." He has been named in the "Global Counsel Lawyer Super Leagues." Sheldon has been selected by Practical Law Company as one of the world's leading intellectual property lawyers. He is listed in PLC Which Lawyer? in Canada for multiple categories. Sheldon is ranked in the Intellectual Asset Management Licensing 250 as one of "The World's Leading Patent and Technology Licensing Lawyers."

Patents. Sheldon acts for numerous businesses in various industries in the management, prosecution, licensing and enforcement of patent rights. He has authored a book on Canadian patent law. He has been consistently chosen one of the "World's Leading Patent Experts" by Managing Intellectual Property since inception. Sheldon has been consistently recognized in The International Who's Who of Patent Lawyers by Law Business Research since inception, and has been identified as the most frequently named Canadian. Sheldon received the Marie F. Morency Memorial Prize awarded by the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada for the highest national standing in the patent agents drafting examination.

Trade-marks. Sheldon represents numerous clients in brand counselling and the protection, licensing and enforcement of trade-mark, trade dress and trade name rights, as well as in domain name issues. He has authored a multiple-volume book and co-authored two other books on trade-mark law. He has been consistently chosen one of the "World's Leading Trademark Law Experts" by Managing Intellectual Property since inception. Sheldon was named an "Experts' Expert" by World Trademark Review. He has been selected one of the "World's Top 50 Trade Mark Law Practitioners" and the "Worldwide Leading 25 Trade-mark Experts" by Managing Intellectual Property. He has consistently been selected as one of the "Most Highly Regarded Individuals Global - Trademarks" in The International Who's Who of Trade Mark Lawyers published by Law Business Research. In 2009, he was selected one of the world's top 10 trade-mark lawyers by that publication.

Copyright. Sheldon has represented major newspaper, magazine and book publishers, major recording companies, a major television network and others on copyright protection, transaction and enforcement issues. He has co-authored a book on Canadian copyright law and has also been involved in drafting sections of the Copyright Act. He has been consistently selected in the Managing Intellectual Property surveys as one of the "World's Leading Copyright Law Experts" since the first survey to date. He was referred to as "the foremost copyright expert in Canada."

Domain Names. Sheldon advises numerous clients on domain name strategy, transactions and proceedings. He led a Blakes team in the structuring and set up of the ".ca" domain name registry. Sheldon has authored a multiple-volume book on Internet trade-mark and domain name law. He has been ranked by Practical Law Company as one of the leading "E-Commerce and Information Technology Lawyers." Sheldon has been named in the PLC Cross-border Information and E-Commerce Handbook and was selected in PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook in the category of "IT and E-commerce."

Licensing, Technology Transfer, Franchising and Transactions. Sheldon was among the first group of individuals to be designated a "certified licensing professional." He has acted in the licensing of various types of intellectual properties in virtually every industry, and represents major clients in connection with technology and other licensing, franchising and merchandising programs. Sheldon has been involved in transactions involving some of the most valuable Canadian and international intellectual properties. He has been selected by PLC Cross-border Intellectual Property Handbook as the leading commercial intellectual property lawyer in Canada and has been selected in Intellectual Asset Management's "Licensing 250 - The World's Leading Patent and Technology Licensing Lawyers." He has authored chapters in several books on licensing and on intellectual property and information technology in commercial transactions. Sheldon authors a monthly column on "Licensing Fundamentals" in World Intellectual Property Report. Sheldon has received an Achievement Award from the Licensing Executives Society USA/Canada.

Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences. Sheldon acts for a number of major international and domestic pharmaceutical companies and has served as a director of one of Canada's largest pharmaceutical companies. He has been referenced in the European Counsel Life Sciences Specialist 500 of the "Top-Ranking Life Sciences Lawyers Worldwide." He has been ranked by Practical Law Company among the leading "Life Sciences Lawyers" since inception. Sheldon has been selected in the PLC Global Counsel Life Sciences Handbook and the PLC Cross-border Life Sciences Handbook since inception. He is recommended by PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook in the category of "Life Sciences-Intellectual Property." He has written a regular column in Pharmaceuticals Canada.

Internet, E-commerce, Information Technology and Communications. Sheldon acts for a number of leading Internet e-commerce, information and technology based companies and advises other businesses on those issues. For example, he led a Blakes team in the structuring and set up of the ".ca" domain name registry. Sheldon has authored a multiple-volume book on Internet trade-mark and domain name law. He has been ranked by Practical Law Company as one of the leading "E-Commerce and Information Technology Lawyers." Sheldon was selected by Practical Law Company as an "Expert in Communications Law." He has been named in the PLC Cross-border Communications Handbook, the PLC Communications Industry Report and the PLC Cross-border Information and E-Commerce Handbook. He was selected in PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook in the category of "IT and E-commerce." He has also been chosen as one of the "Personalities in Canadian Technology."

Sports and Entertainment. Sheldon is active on behalf of numerous clients in the sports and entertainment industry. For example, he has acted for newspaper and magazine publishers, a television network and major recording companies. Sheldon has acted for most of the major North American professional sports leagues, as well as a leading sanctioning body.

Alternative Dispute Resolution. Sheldon serves as an arbitrator and as a mediator. He is a member of the Canadian Panel of Neutrals for the International Trademark Association/International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution Program. He is also a member of the panel of IP Neutrals of Canada, the panel of the Intellectual Property Division of National Arbitration and Mediation and the panel of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Center. Sheldon has authored a book on domain name arbitration.

Books and Articles. Sheldon is an author of several books on Canadian intellectual property law, such as The Corporate Counsel Guide to Intellectual Property Law (Canada Law Book), Patent Your Own Invention (International Self Counsel Press) and the multiple-volume The Law of Domain Names and Trade-marks on the Internet (Carswell). He has co-authored a book on international trade-mark law and has contributed chapters to numerous domestic and international books on trade-marks, copyright, other intellectual property, licensing, merchandising, intellectual property in commercial transactions, intellectual property disputes, electronic commerce, as well as pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Sheldon is the author of hundreds of articles and papers on intellectual property and technology topics. He has authored regular columns in various publications. He has also spoken often in these areas.

Teaching. Sheldon lectures annually at the McGill University/Intellectual Property Institute of Canada trade-mark course. He is a member of the faculty in the Osgoode Hall Law School e-commerce LL.M. program and has been a lecturer in the Osgoode Hall Intellectual Property LL.M. program and the Osgoode Hall Intensive Program in Business Law.

Organizations. Sheldon is a member of many professional organizations in the legal, intellectual property and engineering fields and has chaired and sat on numerous committees in organizations such as the American Bar Association, the Canadian Bar Association, the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, the International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property, the International Trademark Association and the Licensing Executives Society. He is a past chair of the Toronto Patent and Trademark Group.