Melanie Aitken

Melanie Aitken is the Managing Principal of Bennett Jones (US) LLP. She is also co-head of the competition and foreign investment practice of Bennett Jones. She specializes in global antitrust and competition law and litigation.

Melanie served as Canada’s Competition Commissioner, in charge of the Canadian Competition Bureau from 2009 to 2012, having previously served as the Senior Deputy Commissioner leading merger review from 2006 to 2009.

While serving as Commissioner, Melanie led many high-profile civil and criminal matters and worked extensively with leaders of international antitrust authorities around the world on enforcement and policy cases, holding leadership roles in key international organizations, such as the Steering Committee of the International Competition Network.

Melanie was a partner at Bennett Jones and Davies Ward Philips & Vineberg before joining the Bureau in 2005. She has acted as counsel in the Supreme Court of Canada and represented the merging parties in Canada’s leading efficiencies case, Superior Propane. Melanie has an active antitrust advisory, trial and commercial practice, representing major Canadian and US companies in significant matters across a broad range of industries.

Melanie is a frequent speaker and commentator on competition issues, and has taught as an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall and Queen’s Law Schools. She is active on the C.D. Howe Institute’s Competition Policy Council, and sits on the Advisory Boards of the Global Antitrust Institute, Schulich School of Business (Toronto, Canada), and W@CompetitionAmericas, and has been appointed a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Melanie also serves as a non-governmental advisor to the International Competition Network.

U.S. Patenting Abroad — A Quiet Trade Advantage

By Chris Borges   Although patents are territorial, meaning they are limited to the jurisdiction in which they are granted, the networks spanning innovation and commerce are global. U.S. inventors routinely seek patent protection in markets abroad to safeguard their innovations, facilitate exports, and access new customers. By requiring member states
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The U.S. IP Trade Surplus

By Chris Borges As debates over trade balances intensify, policymakers should remember where the United States already excels: the creation, sale, and licensing of intellectual property (IP). IP rights such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks convert ideas into protected and transferable economic assets, promoting innovation and economic growth.
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The New SEP Powerhouse: How China is Shaping Global Patent Disputes

By Kirti Gupta and Mark Cohen As 5G cellular standards continue to connect billions of smartphones, automobiles, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the licensing of standard essential patents (SEPs) on Fair, Reasonable and Non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms has emerged as a key interest of businesses and policymakers worldwide. SEPs represent tens of billions of
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