Search
CONTACT US

Natalie Raffoul

Managing Partner
Head of High-Tech and IP Licensing
[email protected]
613.521.8844 x 102

Natalie Raffoul is a world-renowned IP lawyer and Managing Partner of BRION RAFFOUL LLP, a law firm specializing in intellectual property (IP) law, which she co-founded in 2008. She is also the co-founder of Fortress IAM™, a platform that helps small- and medium-sized companies manage their IP, contracts, and corporate data. Ms. Raffoul is a world-renowned expert in the patenting of software, business methods, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and the legal and strategic issues surrounding such subject matter. Natalie is consistently ranked among the world’s leading patent practitioners in the IAM Patent 1000 publication annually since 2014, and shortlisted as one of the most Highly Recommended patent prosecutors in Canada. Since 2020 she has been recognized in the IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists as a Global Leader in leading the way in the development and implementation of strategies that maximize the value of IP portfolios, and in 2025 she was named an IAM Global Leader, an elite distinction reserved for those ranked in the gold tier of the IAM Patent 1000. Natalie has also been recognized as a Highly Recommended Individual by IP STARS (Managing IP), where BRION RAFFOUL LLP is Silver-ranked, and in Who’s Who Legal as a world-leading expert for patents in Canada.

In 2019, Natalie was appointed to Ontario, Canada’s first Expert Panel on IP, chaired by Jim Balsillie, former CEO of BlackBerry, which culminated in the landmark 2020 Report: Intellectual Property in Ontario’s Innovation Economy. In 2020, she was appointed as an advisor to the Joint Ministers’ Roundtable on the Ontario Health Data Platform, chaired by Queen’s Dean of Health Sciences, Dr. Jane Philpott, and also became an IP advisor to the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI). In 2026, Natalie was appointed a Fellow of the Balsillie Legal Advisory Centre, a unique-in-Canada centre for international trade and technology governance launched as part of the Balsillie School of International Affairs’ Digital Governance Initiative at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she also serves as a Fellow of the Balsillie School.

Natalie’s international leadership includes extensive advisory work with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). In 2021, she led and taught Train-the-Trainer courses for WIPO in Saudi Arabia and Ukraine, and was selected to participate in a pilot program assessing the IP strategy of green technology companies in Brazil. In 2023, Ms. Raffoul was selected by WIPO as an international IP expert to advise the Singapore Intellectual Property Office (IPOS) on IP strategy for innovative Singaporean companies, and in 2024, to advise FemTech companies in Canada and Israel, as well as AI-focused companies across Latin America. She has also led WIPO training initiatives in Egypt, and most recently has been engaged as a WIPO advisor on a dedicated project examining IP, AI, and health — contributing to WIPO’s broader work on AI-related policy and commercialization strategy.

Natalie’s practice also includes substantial expertise in government procurement and the regulatory frameworks that surround it. She advises clients on bidding strategies, procurement lifecycle compliance, and legal readiness in public and defence procurement environments, including IP and data-rights considerations tied to federal contracting. She is a faculty instructor with the Canada Defence Procurement Readiness Program (CDPRP), where she delivers sessions on legal compliance as well as bid writing and the procurement lifecycle for companies seeking to compete for Government of Canada defence contracts.

Natalie played a key role in representing Waterfront Toronto during its high-profile negotiations with Alphabet (Google) in connection with the Quayside smart city project, helping navigate complex intellectual property and commercialization issues in one of Canada’s most significant innovation infrastructure projects. Her work was later highlighted in Josh O’Kane’s book, The City That Google Can’t Buy. Natalie is also a recognized thought leader in Canadian innovation policy and commercialization strategy, and is frequently published or quoted in leading Canadian media, including The Globe and Mail and The Hill Times, on the need to strengthen Canadian ownership of intellectual property and ensure that public innovation funding delivers long-term domestic economic value.

Natalie’s success stems in large part from a passion for spurring innovation in the tech sector since her career start in 2000. Ms. Raffoul works closely with companies to develop and refine IP procurement and commercialization strategies within the context of each company’s business goals and competitive environment. She has also been invited to speak at the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) on noteworthy cases such as the Amazon decision issued by the Federal Court of Appeal. Natalie is also Director and Chair of the joint IPIC/McGill Understanding Patents Course, and lectures on the patenting of software and business methods, as well as on international patent practice and commercialization strategy.

Ms. Raffoul specializes in filing and prosecuting patent and design applications for her Canadian clients worldwide. She provides advice to her clients, in English and in French, on worldwide patent filing strategies and portfolio management, including trade secret considerations. Her technology expertise includes electronics, communications and networking, manufacturing, consumer products, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and mobile applications.

As a lawyer, Natalie also works with her clients on a mix of IP enforcement issues (with regard to patents, designs, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets) in the pre-litigation context. She has negotiated numerous successful agreements for her clients, covering IP rights in Canada and globally. She is also experienced in drafting customized IP ownership agreements, software licence and service agreements, end-user licence agreements (EULAs), Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs), and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

Natalie holds a degree in electrical engineering from Western University (London, Canada) and a Juris Doctor in law from Queen’s University (Kingston, Canada). She is also a registered patent agent.

Her community involvement includes volunteer positions with a variety of charities, such as the Caring and Sharing Exchange as Chair of the Campaign Cabinet, and as a director on numerous boards, including the Ottawa Hospital Foundation Board. Since 2023, Natalie has served on the Board of Directors of Certified Licensing Professionals, Inc. (CLP), the international body responsible for the CLP credential recognizing excellence in the licensing profession. In 2015, Natalie was awarded the Ottawa Business Journal’s Top Forty Under 40 Award, which recognizes an elite group of business people under the age of 40 who are committed to business excellence, professional expertise and community giving. In 2016, she was selected as a Finalist for Ottawa’s Businesswoman of the Year Award (BYA), one of the three professional women being recognized for their outstanding business achievements.

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS

  • E.Sc. (Electrical), Western University
  • D. (Law), Queen’s University
  • Registered Canadian Patent Agent
  • Registered U.S. Patent Agent
  • Eng., Professional Engineer of Ontario
  • Barrister & Solicitor (Ontario)
  • Notary Public (Ontario)

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS & LEADERSHIP ROLES

  • Fellow, Balsillie Legal Advisory Centre, Balsillie School of International Affairs / Wilfrid Laurier University (2026 – )
  • Fellow, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Wilfrid Laurier University (2025 – )
  • Director, Board of Certified Licensing Professionals, Inc. (CLP) (2023 – )
  • Faculty Instructor, Canada Defence Procurement Readiness Program (CDPRP) — Legal Compliance; Bid Writing and the Procurement Lifecycle (2025 – )
  • WIPO Advisor — International IP Expert, including pilot programs on green technology (Brazil, 2021), IP strategy advisory (Singapore/IPOS, 2023), FemTech advisory (Canada and Israel, 2024), AI-focused company advisory (Latin America, 2024), and current advisory project on AI, health and IP
  • Chair, joint IPIC/McGill IP Courses in Patents, Trademarks, Copyright (2018 – 2022)
  • IP Expert, Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) (2020 – 2022)
  • IP Expert, Joint Ministers’ Roundtable (JMR) for the Ontario Health Data Platform (OHDP) (May 2020 – 2024)
  • Appointment to the Ontario government Expert Panel on Commercializing IP in Ontario, chaired by Jim Balsillie, ex-CEO of BlackBerry (April 2019 – 2020)
  • Co-Chair, Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) Annual Meeting (2021 Annual Meeting Co-Chair)
  • Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) Education Committee, Co-Chair (2018 – 2024)
  • AIPPI, Green Technology Standing Committee, Chair (2018 – 2022), Secretary (2016 – 2018), Member since 2013
  • LES USA & Canada, Licensing Executives Society Standards Initiative, IP Management for Startups Committee (2017 – 2021)
  • Ottawa Hospital Foundation, Chair of Governance Committee (appointed 2019) and Board Member (2017 – 2021)
  • IPIC Advocacy Group, representing Canadian IP professionals before MPs, including Cabinet Ministers, to raise awareness of key IP issues (2015 – 2018)
  • McGill/IPIC, Director of Patent Course, Montreal (2016 – 2018)
  • LES USA & Canada Board Nomination Committee (2018 – 2019)
  • Secretary, LES USA & Canada Foundation Board (2016 – 2018)
  • LESI, Chair of YMC Committee (2017 – 2018)
  • Chair of 2nd Pan-American LESI YMC Event, Ottawa, June 10, 2016
  • Chair of Speaker Bank Committee, IPIC Women in IP Networking Group (2016 – 2018)
  • Board Reviewer — Lead To Win (Business Development Program for Entrepreneurs), Ottawa (2011 – 2020)
  • Organizing Committee, 2017 LES IP100 meeting, for IP Owners by IP Owners
  • Board Member and Engagement Committee Chair, Western University Alumni Association Board, London, Ontario (2013 – 2017)
  • Chair of the Campaign Cabinet of the Caring and Sharing Exchange, Ottawa (2013 – 2016)
  • Director — Signority Inc., Ottawa (2012 – 2014)
  • Lead To Win Faculty Member and Lecturer (Winter 2012, Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2015)
  • Mock Interviewer for the Legal Links & Bridges Mentoring Program, University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law (Common Law Section) (2011, 2013)
  • Board Member and Secretary, Vanier Community Service Centre (2010 – 2012)
  • Board Member, Vanier Community Association (2010 – 2013)
  • Programming Committee Member and Fundraising Committee Member, Dress for Success Ottawa National Capital Region (2010 – 2011)

MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
  • Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC)
  • International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI)
  • International Trademark Association (INTA)
  • Licensing Executives Society (LES USA & Canada)
  • Licensing Executives Society International (LESI)
  • Royal Ottawa Golf Club

RECENT SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

  • Canada Defence Procurement Readiness Program (CDPRP) — Session 3: Legal Compliance; Session 5: Bid Writing and the Procurement Lifecycle (2025)
  • WIPO Advisory Project on AI, Health and IP — contributor and reviewer (2025 – 2026)
  • Canada’s CEO Summit 2024 (Montréal), Moderator: “Navigating Economic Uncertainty in the Era of Intangibles” — in conversation with Jim Balsillie (CCI), Carol Wilding (CPA Ontario), and John Medland (Scotiabank) on Canada’s productivity crisis and the role of IP, AI and data in shaping national competitiveness, September 25–26, 2024
  • Mondaq Webinar (with Volpe Koenig and Wuesthoff & Westhoff), Panelist: “Artificial Intelligence Patenting in FinTech” — with Jay Halt (Volpe Koenig, U.S.) and Bernd Laqua (Wuesthoff & Westhoff, Europe), October 17, 2024
  • LES USA & Canada Annual Meeting, Roundtable on Patentable Subject Matter (2025)
  • LES USA & Canada Annual Meeting, Roundtable on Patentable Subject Matter (2024)
  • Canada’s CEO Summit 2023 (Toronto), In conversation with Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos and BlackBerry veteran — on freedom-to-operate, IP strategy, board governance, and Sonos’ landmark legal victory against Google, 2023
  • LESI 2023 Annual Meeting, Montréal — Fireside Chat with the Hon. Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development on Canada’s IP landscape and its value to startups, small business and international trade, May 1, 2023
  • LESI 2023 Annual Meeting, Montréal — Moderator: “Regulatory & Legislative Trends Affecting Standard Essential Patents (SEPs)” with John C. Donch Jr. (Volpe Koenig), Peter Toto, Stéphane Tronchon (InterDigital) and András Jókúti, LL.M., May 1, 2023
  • Queen’s Law Fox Moot — Coach, Canadian patent eligibility law (2025, 2026)
  • LES USA & Canada Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) Review Course Instructor (2020)
  • LESI YMC Pan-Asian Meeting — Moderator: “Big Data and AI Panel”, Seoul, South Korea, November 29, 2019
  • CNIPA/LESI Licensing Training Course on Intellectual Property and Technology, Speaker: “Entering New Markets through IP Licensing” and Facilitator for an all-day IP Licensing Workshop, Beijing, China, November 21-22, 2019
  • LESI YMC Pan-European Meeting — Speaker: “AI Patenting Trends and the Montreal Data License”, London, UK, September 13, 2019
  • LESI Annual Meeting, Speaker: “Open Innovation Models in Canada”, Yokohama, Japan, May 27, 2019
  • McGill-IPIC Patent Course, Lecturer: “Business Methods and Software Patents”, Montreal, annually since 2014; Workshop Leader for “International Patent Filing Strategies” annually since 2016
  • LESI YMC Pan-American Meeting — Moderator: “Data Licensing For Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning”, Montreal, July 12, 2019
  • University of Ottawa Speaker: “Legal and IP Considerations for Technology Focused Startups”, Ottawa, April 30, 2019 (Engineering Faculty) and June 5, 2019 (MakerLaunch accelerator)
  • Korea Electronics Association (KEA) Speaker: “Patenting Software and Business Methods in Canada and a US Comparative”, Seoul, Republic of Korea, April 17, 2018
  • Korean Patent Attorney Association (KPAA) Speaker: “Industrial Design Protection in Canada”, Seoul, Republic of Korea, April 16, 2018
  • AIPPI Japan Speaker: “Patenting Software and Business Methods in Canada and a US Comparative”, Tokyo, Japan, April 13, 2018
  • LES USA & Canada Speaker: “Licensing and IP Considerations When Working With Start-Ups in Emerging Fields”, Webinar, February 26, 2018
  • LES Austria/Hungary/Czech Republic Meeting: “Do’s and Don’ts When Licensing IP in North America”, Vienna, January 19, 2018
  • Moderator: “Cyber Security: Intersection of Issues around data security, trade secrets, regulatory frameworks, and consumer privacy”, Los Angeles, June 16, 2017
  • Panelist Expert for Canada: “Trade Secrets and Data Privacy Panel”, IP Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC) Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Panel, Chicago, June 23, 2016
  • IPIC Speaker: “Best Practices for Responding to Section 2 Objections during Patent Protection”, IPIC Continuing Legal Education Webinar, June 17, 2016
  • Speaker: “Design Protection in Canada”, Ottawa, June 10, 2016
  • Speaker at the CIGI ILRP Roundtable: Positioning Canada to be Leader in the Global IP System, Ottawa, January 19, 2016
  • IP Law Lecturer — Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Ottawa (annually since 2011)

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

  • Natalie Raffoul, John Donch Jr., Peter Toto, Stéphane Tronchon and Dana Robert Colarulli, “Regulatory and Legislative Trends Impacting Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) in the United States and Europe,” les Nouvelles (LESI), March 2025
  • Natalie Raffoul, John Donch Jr., Peter Toto, Stéphane Tronchon and András Jókúti, “Regulatory & Legislative Trends Affecting Standard Essential Patents (SEPs)” — companion article to the LESI 2023 Montréal panel, les Nouvelles (LESI), September 2023
  • Natalie Raffoul and Neil Desai, “Let’s Stop Giving Billions in Research Funding to Foreign Firms,” The Globe and Mail (2025)
  • Natalie Raffoul, “Let’s stop the spread of a uniquely Canadian disease,” The Globe and Mail, May 24, 2020
  • Natalie Raffoul, “How patents really work in the innovation economy,” The Globe and Mail, August 8, 2019
  • AIPPI Standing Committee on IP and Green Technology (Natalie Raffoul, Chair), Response to Katowice Committee of Experts on the Impacts of the Implementation of Response Measures…, submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 3 September 2021
  • Report: Intellectual Property in Ontario’s Innovation Economy, February 24, 2020
  • Raffoul, N. and A. Mages, “Speed For Green — Expediting Green Patent Applications,” LES Insights, April 28, 2014
  • Raffoul, N. and A. Brion, “Reasons for Patent Protection and Cost-Effective Patent Filing Options for SMEs,” Technology Innovation Management Review, December 2011: 29–33
  • Natalie Raffoul, “The Patentability of Electromagnetic and Acoustic Signals in Canada” (2009) 7 C.J.L.T. 1–192