Lawyer Profile
Christopher N. Hunter
Toronto, Ontario
Overview
Christopher N. Hunter is a Toronto Partner and Practice Group Leader of the Intellectual Property group at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He advises on the acquisition, enforcement and exploitation of intellectual property, with particular experience in patents, trademarks, licensing, strategic branding, technology transactions and intellectual property litigation. He is a registered Canadian patent and trademark agent and is registered before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. His prior Norton Rose Fulbright affiliation is confirmed by the 2016 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, which identifies Christopher N. Hunter as a Toronto partner in the firm's intellectual property practice. His education and Ontario admission also match the current Blakes profile. Representative work includes Nortel's C$4.5-billion patent portfolio sale and complex pharmaceutical, technology and branding matters.
Practice Areas
Bar Information
Ontario Bar, 2000 Registered Canadian Patent Agent, 2002 Registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, 2002 Registered Canadian Trademark Agent, 2010
Professional Details
Education
LLB, University of Victoria, 1998
MASc (Engineering), University of Toronto, 1995
BASc (Engineering), University of Toronto, 1991
Associations
International Trademark Association
Toronto Intellectual Property Group
American Intellectual Property Law Association
Licensing Executives Society
Canadian Bar Association
Ontario Bar Association
Adjunct professor, commercialization of intellectual property, Osgoode Hall Law School
Awards & Recognition
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, 2026: Repeatedly Recommended - Technology Transactions
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, 2025-2026: Repeatedly Recommended - Intellectual Property
Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, 2014-2019 and 2021-2024: Intellectual Property/Computer and IT Law
The Legal 500 Canada, 2026: Intellectual Property
WTR 1000: The World's Leading Trademark Professionals, 2021 and 2026
Chambers Canada Legal Guide, 2024-2026: Intellectual Property
The Best Lawyers in Canada, 2013-2026: Intellectual Property Law
Chambers Global Legal Guide, 2025: Intellectual Property
IAM Patent 1000, 2025: Patents; 2022-2024: Transactions
Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars, 2022 and 2025: Transactions Star
The Legal 500 Canada, 2021-2025: Intellectual Property
Lexpert Special Edition: Health Sciences 2025
Lexpert Special Edition: Technology 2025
Lexology Index: Intellectual Property, 2023-2025: IP - Patents
Lexpert Special Edition: Technology and Health Sciences 2024
Lexology Index: Canada, 2015-2017 and 2021-2024: Patents
Articles & Speeches
Co-author, Prove It or Lose It: Trademark Registrar Initiates Proof-of-Use Proceedings, Blakes Bulletin on Intellectual Property, January 30, 2025
Selected Decisions
Advised a global food company on its C$1-billion acquisition of a foreign competitor's Canadian business, including brand ownership and licence-back issues
Advised a leading Canadian retailer on global branding strategy and acquisitions of global brands
Advised an aerospace company on divestment of significant patents and technology
Advised Nortel Networks Limited on intellectual property aspects of its asset and business divestments, including the C$4.5-billion sale of 6,000 patents
Advised a Canadian bank on DataTreasury's multimillion-dollar patent infringement claim concerning electronic imaging and cheque reconciliation
Advised a global incontinence products company on intellectual property portfolio assessment, patent infringement risk and freedom-to-operate analyses involving more than 3,600 European patents