Christopher Zelyas

Christopher Zelyas is a Partner in Dentons' Litigation and Dispute Resolution group, specializing in Intellectual Property Law. He maintains a broad commercial litigation practice, addressing conflicts at all levels of clients' businesses, and serves as head of Dentons' trademark prosecution team in Canada.

Chris counsels clients in advancing their intellectual property portfolios through patent and trademark litigation, and handles claims involving misappropriation of confidential information and trade secrets. His varied IP litigation practice encompasses disputes concerning products and brands in the agricultural sector, dietary supplements, food products, construction innovations, and oil field technologies. He also manages all steps in the trademark process, from pre‑application clearance searches through registration and renewal, and advocates for clients in opposition and expungement proceedings. His practice also includes a strong focus on construction and infrastructure litigation, and trade agreement disputes. He successfully obtained a rare pre‑trial order in Reckitt Benckiser v. Jamieson Laboratories, which was upheld by the Federal Court of Appeal.

Chris holds a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School (2006) and a B.A. in Criminology with Distinction from the University of Alberta (2002). He was named Practitioner of the Year for Trademark Prosecution by Managing IP Americas Awards (2026) and was a recipient of the Lexpert Rising Stars Awards: Leading Lawyers Under 40 (2020).