Oil and gas trade secret misappropriation case

Our client: An oil and gas service industry based in Western Canada.
Where we began: An ex-employee took confidential information about how our client's equipment was built, found a financial backer and began to compete using a fleet of "copycatted" equipment.
Our approach: Neil emphasized to his client that the odds might not be in its favour, given the client hadn’t really done much to try and safeguard the internal workings of its equipment. But, knowing the law favours instances where that factor is less important, when Neil’s client directed him to "find a way to win," then an understanding formed that the case would be pushed hard to trial if needed.
The result: Victory for the client. Enough evidence was proven to satisfy the judge that the ex-employee had been caught stealing trade secrets and had to pay and to stop using the equipment. The client’s efforts to park its equipment in locked areas for the most part, along with other factors, assisted reaching the conclusion the information was sufficiently maintained. The effort also curtailed an attempt to sell the copied equipment and hood-wink another investor into making more.

Oilfield computer software protected

Our Client: An oilfield service provider with a very successful program for booking workers' travel and related needs.
Where we began: Our client built a very successful sales book. A prior employee involved in the software development issued suit against our client claiming he was a co-author of the software.
Our approach: Neil applied what he’d learned through the years on copyright cases - in Canada the author is the owner; that is, the person "holding the pen" (in this case, coding the software by tapping the keyboard). In addition, it was clear that the true author had reams of experience and success in developing software and that the prior employee had little or no training and didn’t know computer languages. In other words, the claim "didn’t add up." Neil oversaw his own client’s case and also advised two consecutive teams of outside lawyers handling the case for the client’s Director who was also sued. "Keep it simple, get the necessary facts in, don’t complicate it and get it to trial" was the mantra.
The result: Neil got the team to follow the mantra against all temptations otherwise. The case was dismissed by the Federal Court in a relatively quick manner, relatively cheaply, and without any live testimony or cross-examination required along the way or at trial. The case is now the only Canadian precedent on what activities give rise to software authorship.

Defending against a patent infringement claim in a fracking operation

Our Client: A major provider of well completion services and equipment to operators of fracking wells.
Where we began: Our client and three other completion companies were sued for patent infringement.
Our approach: The main defences were that the patent was invalid as obvious over prior art and that the invention was disclosed by the plaintiff to the public more than a year prior to filing. One focus was on the plaintiff’s claim that its otherwise invalidating public disclosure was in confidence. Neil applied his experience in trade secret law/law of confidential information to identify the holes in the plaintiff’s claim of confidentiality.
The Result: The four-week "validity trial" occurred in early 2017. A decision is on reserve.

Textile trademark infringement claim defeated

Our Client: A manufacturer and retailer of textiles for the bedding industry based in Western Canada.
Where we began: Our client was facing a trademark infringement claim for millions of dollars in damages as well as demands that our client stop using the trademark.
Our approach: Neil argued his client had named its product using ordinary words common to the bedding industry. When the other side stubbornly dug in its heels, Neil created a 17-volume affidavit that documented over 500 references to the industry's use of the words in question. "We put the affidavit on the doorstep of the courthouse for entering into the public realm where, if the matter didn't resolve, all others in the industry also using those words could rely on that same evidence."
The result: The plaintiff agreed to mediation, which reversed the "who-pays-who" dynamic and led to a very favorable outcome for our client. As Neil put it, "A creative, strategic, team approach and hard work meant that our client obtained an outstanding settlement, so favourable that the other side required it be kept confidential lest other competitors find out."