Alyssa practices all areas of intellectual property law, supports influencers to understand their legal rights and obligations, and handles Access to Information Act matters for regulated clients.
Alyssa advocates for artists and content/UGC creators, helping them protect their interests when dealing with brands, agencies, platforms, customers, and collaborators. Her strategic guidance covers a wide range of legal issues that affect the social media space, including contracts, copyright, trademark, and defamation.
With litigation experience before the Small Claims Court and the Federal Courts, Alyssa is at home in the courtroom. She frequently works with pharmaceutical companies to bring drugs to market under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations; has advised the Government of Canada on intellectual property disputes; and has counseled a variety of businesses on patents, copyright, trademarks, and industrial designs, licensing, and regulatory issues. Prior to joining Aitken Klee, Alyssa worked as a Law Clerk for the Honourable Justice Richard Southcott of the Federal Court.
Alyssa quickly masters new subjects and translates complicated concepts into persuasive arguments.
Education and Qualifications
- State Bar of California (2022 inactive)
- Law Society of Ontario (2019)
- Juris Doctor, Michigan State University College of Law (2018)
- Juris Doctor, University of Ottawa (2018)
- Honours Bachelor of Social Science, University of Ottawa (2014)
Memberships
- Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC)
- Canadian Bar Association/Ontario Bar Association
Positions
- IPIC, Vice Chair for the Emerging Leaders Committee and Emerging Leaders Networking Group
- IPIC, Women and IP Networking Group
- Artists’ Legal Advice Services (ALAS), Duty Counsel
Publications and Presentations
- Alyssa Gaffen, “Navigating Contracts in the Creative Industries”, presented for ALAS and OCAD University Centre for Emerging Artists and Designers (August 28, 2025)
- Alyssa Gaffen, Angela Sordi, and Jason Geary, “Understanding Neurodiversity”, presented to IPIC2024 in St. John’s, Newfoundland (September 27, 2024)
- Alyssa Gaffen, “Refining theSaccharin Doctrine: A Call for Clarity and Predictability in Canada’s Extraterritorial Patent Law”, Intellectual Property Journal (2020) 32:3 p. 291
- Jeremy de Beer and Alyssa Gaffen, “Intellectual Property Rights in the Recreational Cannabis Market: Craft or Commodity?” University of British Columbia Law Review (2017) 50:3 p. 621.