Jason Howg

National Business Leader, Intellectual Property

Calgary
[email protected]
403.232.9415
Jason is passionate about combining technology, innovation, intellectual property and the law to help clients achieve their business goals.
He advises Canadian and international businesses on a broad range of technology and intellectual property matters, including large-scale and mission critical information technology (IT) transactions, technology and IP license agreements, intellectual property protection and strategy, related commercial transactions and emerging technology issues. Jason focuses on the IT and high tech, health informatics, medtech, energy, artificial intelligence, internet of things and online retail (e-commerce) sectors.

Jason regularly drafts and negotiates agreements involving technology acquisition, procurement, development, licensing, distribution and supply, as well as the purchase and sale of technology-related goods and services. He works with clients in many industries, including satellites, aerospace, healthcare, energy (including power and LNG), vehicle safety technology, agriculture, military technology, precious metals, and currency and logistics.

Through his health informatics practice, he advises on clinical information systems, electronic health records and IT transactions. Jason advised on three of the largest clinical information system transactions in Canada and has worked in health informatics for 17 years.

As a lawyer, patent agent, Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) and trademark agent, Jason has the expertise necessary to provide businesses with practical and industry-focused and strategic intellectual property insights, including on intellectual property protection, registration and licensing, including on patents, trademarks and trade secrets.

Representative agreements and transactions Jason regularly advises on include:

  • software license agreements, subscription agreements, software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud services agreements;
  • technology license agreements and patent license agreements;
  • software enterprise agreements;
  • technology and software development agreements;
  • purchase and sale agreements for technology and technology-related products;
  • professional services, consulting and outsourcing agreements;
  • hardware purchase agreements; and
  • distribution and reseller agreements.

Jason is National Business Leader of BLG’s Intellectual Property Group and the regional leader of the IT Group. He also co-chairs BLG’s Innovation Thought Leadership Committee, championing innovation throughout the firm, helping BLG stay ahead of the legal innovation curve and seeking out opportunities to innovate.

Jason provides legal services through a Law Corporation.

Experience

  • Advised Trilliant Networks (Canada) Inc., a leading international provider of utility solutions for advanced metering and smart grid systems, in its acquisition of PrimeStone, a privately owned intelligent data collection and analytics company.
  • Advised Sylogist Ltd. (TSXV:SYZ) in its acquisition of Information Strategies, Inc.,  a provider of software solutions and professional services to federal and state government and not-for-profit/NGO organizations.
  • Acted as lead counsel for a satellite technology supplier on numerous satellite component purchase and license agreements.
  • Acted as IP lead lawyer for the due diligence of a satellite operator providing a global vehicle tracking system.
  • Acted as lead counsel for a technology supplier on numerous aerospace component purchase and license agreements.
  • Acted as lead IP lawyer for a $2.7-billion international transaction involving the licensing and implementation of technology.
  • Acted as lead counsel for more than 15 years for a vehicle safety software and component manufacturer, including on all material technology license and reseller agreements.
  • Advised a global infrastructure organization with its innovation program for technology related to construction optimization software, including license agreements and arrangements with Canadian and U.S. universities.
  • Structured and advised on a transaction to build a production facility to use technology to convert waste gas into a commercial product.
  • Structured and advised on a transaction to build and implement oil sands technology into a pilot and commercial plant.
  • Advised numerous organizations on the federal government’s supercluster innovation program.
  • Acted as lead counsel for a transaction involving licensing linear accelerator technology and patents.
  • Advised various health organizations on multimillion dollar IT-, IS- and IT-project-related agreements for clinical, hospital and non-clinical systems. Acted as counsel for a healthcare organization for over 17 years.
  • Advised on numerous transactions involving utility metering and billing solutions and associated software license agreements.
  • Advised clients on significant IT and business-processing outsourcing arrangements in the areas of payroll, HR, financial services and managed services.
  • Drafted and negotiated an Energy Management System agreement for a client in the energy industry.
  • Advised on and negotiated more than 75 software-related agreements for a midstream company after a significant acquisition.
  • Led an IP due diligence team in the $250 million purchase of software assets from a leading simulation software company.
  • Assisted a number of public research organizations in Canada on elements of their IP strategy and policy, including intellectual property training, technology-related and license agreements, patent valuation and commercialization.
  • Advised one of Canada’s pre-eminent artificial intelligence organizations on its key license agreements, and assisted a number of artificial intelligence suppliers with standard terms and conditions and customer agreements.
  • Advised numerous clients on agriculture-related technology transactions.

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Member, IT.Can (Canadian IT Law Association)
  • Fellow, Intellectual Property Institute of Canada
  • Member, Licensing Executive Society
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association (CBA), Alberta Branch; Member, CBA Alberta South, Intellectual Property/Technology Section
  • Past Member, BLG Professional Committee
  • Project Sponsor, BLG's cutting-edge BLG U program, a Web portal that is first of its kind in Canada, allowing BLG’s professionals and clients to access videos to meet their CLE requirements.

Awards & Recognitions

  • Recognized in the 2025 edition (and since 2019) of The Best Lawyers in Canada (Information Technology Law).
  • Recognized in the 2024 edition (and since 2022) of Lexpert Special Edition: Technology & Health Sciences
  • Recognized in the 2024 edition (and since 2021) of The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Computer & IT Law, Intellectual Property, Technology Transactions).
  • Recognized in the 2021 edition of Intellectual Asset Magazine's IAM Strategy 300, recognizing the top 300 IP strategists in the world.
  • Recognized in the 2021 edition of Lexpert Special Edition: Technology

Bar Admission & Education

  • Alberta, 2000
  • LLB, University of Alberta, 1999
  • B.Admin (With Distinction) in Corporate Finance, University of Regina, 1996