About Us

The Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) is Canada’s first and only public interest technology law clinic. Based at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, our team of legal experts and law students works together to advance the public interest on critical law and technology issues.

Our mandate has three interrelated components:

We speak up for the public interest when key decisions about technology law and policy are being made by Parliament, the courts, regulatory agencies, international bodies, and private companies;
We provide pro bono legal counsel to clients with technology law matters that implicate the public interest; and
We develop public education materials and resources on technology law and policy issues.
CIPPIC was established in 2003 and is one of five technology law clinics across North America to benefit from the generous financial support of Prof. Pam Samuelson and Dr. Robert Glushko. Learn more about how you can support CIPPIC’s public interest mission by making a tax-deductible donation.

CIPPIC acknowledges that its offices are located on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Nation.

Funding

CIPPIC was established in 2003 with proceeds from a class action lawsuit against Amazon.com, which a judge ordered to be given to the University of Ottawa to start a law clinic to advance the public interest on key technology law issues. These court-ordered funds were matched by an Ontario Government initiative to support technology-related research at several Ontario Universities. In 2007, CIPPIC received a transformative gift from Prof. Pam Samuelson and Dr. Robert Glushko of the Berkeley, California, that allowed it to become a leading voice in Canadian and international technology law and policy discussions.

CIPPIC relies on the generous contributions of donors to maintain and expand its operations. Please visit our Donations page to make a tax-deductible contribution to us today, or reach out to Matt Malone, our Director, to discuss funding opportunities.

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CIPPIC Staff

Matt Malone

Director

Matt Malone is a lawyer and academic specializing in the protection of secret information, especially in the context of trade secrecy, confidential information, access to information, privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity. Before joining CIPPIC, Matt practiced law in California at Morrison & Foerster and Van Dermyden Makus. He is currently an academic partner at the Investigative Journalism Foundation and an advisory board member of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association.

Melissa Dupuis-Crane

Licensing Candidate

Melissa is a recent graduate of the J.D. program at the University of Ottawa, and holds a B.A. in History from Queen’s University. Before studying law, Melissa spent nearly a decade working in digital advertising, most recently as Director of eCommerce at Publicis Media Canada. During law school, she interned at CIPPIC, led the University of Ottawa Tech Fellows, and served as Team Captain for the University of Ottawa’s Harold G. Fox Intellectual Property Moot team.

Mansi Chugh

Summer Intern

Mansi recently completed her first year at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from McMaster University. Mansi has a strong interest in both Constitutional Law and Property Law, particularly in the ways the two areas intersect. At law school, she serves as a General Editor for the Lakehead Law Journal and is involved with both Pro Bono Students Canada and Lakehead University Community Legal Services.

Vera Weijia Bi

Summer Intern

Vera is a first-year J.D. candidate at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law with a bilingual academic background in Chinese civil law and U.S. common law. Passionate about privacy, intellectual property, and the public interest in emerging technologies, Vera is committed to advancing fair and accessible technology law in Canada and beyond. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring food and culture and has watched nearly every food documentary available in Mandarin.

David Fewer

General Counsel

David Fewer is an intellectual property and technology lawyer who brings over twenty-five years of experience to CIPPIC's advocacy. Prior to joining CIPPIC, David practiced with national firms in British Columbia and Ontario and clerked with the Federal Court of Canada. His graduate legal studies focused on intellectual property policy and the Charter’s significance for copyright. He teaches, writes, and frequently comments in the media on technology law.

Gareth Spanglett

Articling Student

Gareth Spanglett recently completed his J.D. part time at the University of Ottawa specializing in technology and intellectual property. He has over two decades of industry experience in information technology and data-driven solutions. He is currently a data governance and cybersecurity specialist and AI solutions architect in the semiconductor industry, as well as articling part time at CIPPIC.

Trinity Holeska

Summer Intern

Trinity is an incoming second year J.D. student at the University of Ottawa with a strong interest in technology law, privacy rights and public interest advocacy. She holds a B.A. from the University of British Columbia and previously worked in the hospitality and events sector for nearly a decade. Prior to law school, she supported imprisoned individuals and completed research with Scholars at Risk. Trinity also served as VP Finance of the university’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Law Student Association.