John C. Cotter

Associate Judge John C. Cotter was born and raised in North Bay, Ontario. He attended the University of Western Ontario (now Western University), receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980 with a major in Economics. His formal legal education was at the University of Windsor, where he obtained an LL.B. in 1986.

Associate Judge Cotter articled at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in Toronto. After being admitted to the Ontario bar in 1988, he practised with the firm as an associate lawyer and then as a partner, including four years as Chair of the Intellectual Property Department. He began his career as a general litigator and over time focused primarily on intellectual property disputes; as a result, he has been counsel on a wide range of matters before a number of courts and tribunals.

Associate Judge Cotter was actively involved in the Intellectual Property Section of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA IP Section) and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada. This included committee work and serving as Chair of the CBA IP Section’s Professional Development Committee and on the Section’s Executive. He regularly spoke and wrote on intellectual property topics, including co-authoring chapters for texts dealing with copyright and trademark matters.

Appointed Associate Judge of the Federal Court on May 31, 2023.