Ian McMillan is a partner, lawyer and patent agent with 20 years of experience. Ian’s practice focuses on patent and technology law, particularly obtaining and evaluating intellectual property rights for clients in the high technology and mechanical fields, assisting clients with intellectual property and technology transactions, enforcement of intellectual property rights and avoiding infringement of third party intellectual property rights.
Ian helps clients in a wide variety of technologies including image processing software, medical and dental imaging, image compression software, data encryption software, emulator systems and software, computer-based mechanical control systems, bioinformatics, automotive, audio and acoustic technology, fuel-cells, fluid mechanics, wind turbines, LEDs, humidity controls, injection moulding, metal recycling, cosmetics, computer-implemented business methods, optometry, mass spectrometry and radar systems. Other lawyers and patent agents often refer clients to Ian when the technology at issue is highly mathematical. However, most of his work comes from referrals from existing clients.
Ian also advises his clients on other IP issues, including copyright, trade secrets, and trademarks. Ian obtained first class honours for his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Engineering at Queen’s University. He was awarded two NSERC Undergraduate Research Grants: one to research exhaust gas heat dispersion and the other to research logic and discrete mathematics (graph theory). He was also awarded several scholarships by the Faculty of Engineering and the Mathematics Department at Queen's University.
Ian is active with the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) and has contributed extensively to patent education in Canada. Ian has been a tutor at the annual IPIC-McGill University Patent Course. Ian also served as a tutor for several years with the IPIC Committee that provides annual patent agent training sessions.