Mat Brechtel is an experienced IP lawyer that has represented well-known international brands, high tech businesses, and major public authorities.
Mat builds and defends intellectual property rights in confidential information, trademarks, copyrights, software, designs, and related rights. He has acted for clients including RE/MAX, Louis Vuitton, and Blackberry obtaining and enforcing pre-judgment remedies, including injunctive relief, asset freezing orders, civil search warrants, discovery and disclosure orders, and letters rogatory.
In contentious proceedings, he acts across forums, including the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal of British Columbia, the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, the Ontario Superior Courts and Divisional Courts, international arbitrations, and before the Trademarks Opposition Board.
Mat advises entrepreneurs regarding the use of IP assets online, navigating novel challenges with trademark use, software and app copyright issues, streaming, and other emerging platform issues.
Mat has particular expertise in multi-jurisdictional litigation and has acted on behalf of clients obtaining evidence in Canada for use in legal proceedings around the world and clients concurrently enforcing their intellectual property rights in multiple jurisdictions.
Prior to practicing Mat clerked for the Supreme Court of Canada with Justice Rothstein and for the BC Court of Appeal with Justices Newbury and Mackenzie.
Mat is deeply involved in the IP community, having held positions as Committee Vice Chair and Chair of the International Trademark Association (INTA), National and Provincial executives of the CBA’s IP sections, and Committee Member of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC), amongst other roles. He speaks often on a range of IP issues.
- B.Sc. (Biochemistry Specialization), University of Alberta (2005)
- LL.B., Dalhousie University (Valedictorian) (2009)
- British Columbia (2011)
- Ontario (2011)
- Canada (trademarks) (2014)
- IP Litigation and Strategy
- Trademark Litigation & Prosecution
- Online Technologies
- Consumer Packaged Goods
- Apparel & Luxury Goods
- Trade Secrets
- Copyrights
- IP Licensing
- Benchmark Litigation Canada, 2024
- Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, 2020-2024
- Chambers Canada, Intellectual Property: Litigation, 2025
- Managing IP – IP Stars (Trademarks), 2023-2024
- The Best Lawyers in Canada, 2021-2025
- World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) Leaders, 2022-2024
- World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000, 2023-2024