Simon Lemay

 Lawyer, Trademark Agent
Key practice areas
Intellectual Property, Corporate and Commercial Law
Québec Bar 1995
Québec City
+1 418 650 1114
simon.lemay@langlois.ca
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Simon Lemay focuses his practice on intellectual property and business law. With three decades of experience in the trademark field, he is a trusted partner for companies seeking to protect, strengthen and promote their brand identity. He assists clients in identifying, mitigating and managing major intellectual property risks, as well as in evaluating a range of business opportunities. As a trademark agent, he expertly guides and advises clients on applications pertaining to trademarks and models. He excels at assessing trademark registration validity and market clearance. His background in food science, combined with his experience as an executive in the legal departments of agri-food companies, makes him an ideal advisor on agri-food regulations, including food quality management and food safety.

Always attentive to his clients’ needs, Simon strives to fully understand the vision and business strategy before proposing tailored solutions to meet the stated objectives. Clients appreciate his availability and his ability to explain complex legal concepts in lay terms, which is often key to making informed decisions.

Over the course of his career, Simon has held several management positions at agri-food companies. Among other positions, he served as Director of Intellectual Property Legal Services and then as Vice-President of Intellectual Property Legal Affairs at one of the world’s largest dairy processors. While serving as Director of Legal Services for another food processing company, he was entrusted with protecting the company’s intellectual property and distinguished himself by setting up and managing an internal agency to administer the company’s trademark portfolio. He also spent 18 years practising intellectual property and business law at two other regional law firms.

Simon is regularly invited to deliver lectures on intellectual property. He has taught at Université Laval’s Faculty of Law, and currently teaches air law to future pilots at a major flight school in Québec City.

At the same time, he is actively involved in his community in various ways. For ten years, he served as Board Chair of the Québec Youth Centre, and for six years, as Board Chair of the Integrated Centre for Health and Social Services (CISSS) for the Capitale-Nationale region. In 2015, he founded Le Dragon Boréal, a non-profit organization that aims to develop self-esteem among young people from disadvantaged backgrounds through the practice of Kempo karate. Simon serves as president and martial arts instructor.

  • International Trademark Association (INTA), Member for approximately 25 years
  • Le Dragon Boréal, Founder, President and Martial Arts Instructor, since 2015
  • Integrated Centre for Health and Social Services (CISSS) for the Capitale-Nationale Region, Chair of the Board of Directors, 2015-2020
  • Centre Jeunesse de Québec – Institut Universitaire, Chair of the Board of Directors, 2008-2015
  • Author: Guide pratique de la propriété intellectuelle [A practical guide to intellectual property], LexisNexis Canada, December 20, 2018.
  • Co-author: “Nouvelles étiquettes et indications géographiques pour les produits alimentaires: votre marque de commerce est-elle concernée?” [New labels and geographic indications for food products: does this affect your trademark?], Les cahiers de propriété intellectuelle, Éditions Yvon Blais, Vol. 30, No. 1, January 2018.
  • Co-author: “La propriété intellectuelle en matière de franchise: au-delà de l’enregistrement de vos marques” [Intellectual property in franchising: beyond registering your trademarks], Développements récents en droit de la franchise, Barreau du Québec, Vol. 420, Éditions Yvon Blais, 2016.
  • Author: “Les marques de commerce descriptives” [Descriptive trademarks], Développements récents en droit de la propriété intellectuelle, Éditions Yvon Blais, Vol. 421, 2016.
  • Author: “Marques de commerce et toponymie” [Trademarks and place names], Développements récents en droit de la propriété intellectuelle, Éditions Yvon Blais, Vol. 314, 2009.
  • Author: Les principaux aspects de la Loi sur la concurrence relative à la publicité [Key aspects of the Competition Act relating to advertising], The Canadian Institute, November 1, 2007.
  • Author: “La Confusion” [Confusion], Les cahiers de propriété intellectuelle, Éditions Yvon Blais, Vol. 14, No. 1, October 1, 2001.
  • Speaker: Les marques de commerce descriptives [Descriptive trademarks], as part of the Développements récents en droit de la propriété intellectuelle conference organized by the Barreau du Québec’s Continuing Education department, November 18, 2016.
  • Co-speaker: La propriété intellectuelle en matière de franchise: au-delà de l’enregistrement de vos marques [Intellectual property in franchising: beyond registering your trademarks], as part of the Développements récents en droit de la franchise conference organized by the Barreau du Québec’s Continuing Education department, 2016.

Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL), Transport Canada, 2020

LL.B., Université Laval, 1993

B. Sc., Agriculture (Food Science), McGill University, 1989

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