Biography: Trademarks

Toni Polson Ashton is a senior partner, having practised with the firms since 1976 in intellectual property law, with particular concentration on all aspects of trademark and related law.

Her practice encompasses counselling clients in the selection and availability of trademarks, portfolio management, prosecution, policing of trademarks, opposition and related licensing and packaging issues.

Toni's commitment to trademark law has led to serving as chair of the national intellectual property section of the Canadian Bar Association (1992 to 1993); the International Trademark Association (INTA) board of directors (1995 to 1997) and its executive committee (1996 to 1997), steering council, legislative analysis, meeting, international, geographical indications, famous and well-known marks and INTA 2012 Annual Meeting project team committees. She is a member of The University of Akron School of Law IP advisory council.

She has spoken at the Law Society of Upper Canada; University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law Schools, and for private and professional organisations within and outside Canada.

Toni co-authors Hughes on Trade Marks and Trademarks: Canadian Forms and Precedents and contributed to Essential Commercial Law Precedents, Halsbury's Laws of Canada, the first edition of Trade-marks, Passing off and Unfair Competition 200, and IP Benchbook – Trade-marks.

Toni Ashton is a Fellow of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada; member of the Canadian Bar Association (Ontario), INTA, IPSKI, Metropolitan Toronto Lawyer's Association, Phi Delta Phi, Toronto board of trade, and special member of MARQUES, and inter alia is peer review rated in World Trademark Review as a top-tier lawyer for non-contentious trademark matters in Canada.