Heer Law

Intellectual Property; Patents; Patent Prosecution; Industrial Designs; Trademarks; Trade Secrets; Intellectual Property Strategy; Intellectual Property Portfolio Management

Tapas Pain is a partner at Heer Law, an intellectual property lawyer, registered patent agent and registered trademark agent.

His practice encompasses patents, trademarks, industrial designs, trade secrets, intellectual property strategy and domestic and international portfolio management. He has particular experience in patent matters involving pharmaceuticals, medical devices, chemical technologies, commercial manufacturing processes, infrastructure, mining, construction, industrial equipment and mechanical systems.

Tapas advises inventors, businesses and international rights holders on patentability, filing strategy, patent drafting and prosecution, portfolio development and the commercial use of intellectual property. His scientific education in toxicology, pharmacology and pharmacy assists him in understanding technically complex inventions, particularly in the pharmaceutical, medical and chemical fields.

He has substantial experience with international patent protection under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. His work includes preparing and prosecuting PCT applications, conducting Chapter II international prosecution, advising on national-phase entry strategy and coordinating prosecution across multiple jurisdictions.

Tapas also advises on trademark registration and enforcement, industrial-design protection, trade secrets and the development of coordinated intellectual property portfolios. Over more than two decades of practice, he has acted for clients across six continents in connection with Canadian and international intellectual property matters.

English

• Law Society of Ontario

• College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents — registered patent agent and trademark agent

Tapas was called to the Ontario Bar in 2000. He became a registered trademark agent in 2002 and a registered patent agent in 2004.

Early in his legal career, Tapas practised intellectual property law with Ridout & Maybee LLP. He subsequently became a founding partner of Pain & Ceballos LLP and went on to establish PNC IP Group, a full-service intellectual property practice based in York Region. Before joining Heer Law as a partner in 2026, he was the founder and continuous owner of that practice.

Through PNC IP Group, Tapas advised Canadian and foreign businesses, inventors, law firms and patent agencies on patent, trademark, copyright, industrial-design and international portfolio matters. The practice represented intellectual property owners from six continents and regularly handled Canadian national-phase entries and other foreign-originating patent instructions.

Tapas holds a Bachelor of Science in Toxicology and Pharmacology and a Master of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto. He received his law degree from the University of Ottawa.

Before entering law, Tapas conducted medical-science research and co-authored peer-reviewed publications. His published research includes a paper supporting standardized scientific reporting practices that has subsequently been cited in numerous peer-reviewed publications and research-reporting guidelines.

Tapas has also written extensively for inventors and businesses on patent applications, patent claims, infringement, trademark proceedings, artificial intelligence, international intellectual property protection and portfolio management.