Roch Ripley is a partner at Gowling WLG, the head of the Vancouver office’s Intellectual Property department and a member of the firm’s global Hydrogen Group. He focuses his patent prosecution practice across multiple technology-related sectors, including e-commerce, AI, VR/AR/MR and clean technology. Roch employs a strategic approach to the procurement and commercialization of IP rights — whether in the context of helping SMEs position themselves for investment/acquisition or assisting larger companies in establishing portfolios that can be asserted offensively or deployed defensively. He is highly skilled in drafting and obtaining patents and leading IP-related due diligence and negotiations for transactions where intellectual property is a driver. Roch is a Registered Patent Agent in the US and Canada and combines his legal background with his degree in electronics engineering to prepare and prosecute patent applications for his clients in key markets such as the US, Europe, Asia and Canada. He also frequently assists foreign attorneys file patent and design applications in Canada. Roch has been recognized in IAM Patent 1000 and named an “Acritas Star” from 2018 to 2020. He received the Best Lawyers 2023 Intellectual Property Law "Lawyer of the Year" award in Vancouver.