Digital Sovereignty Leadership:
Governing Power in the Algorithmic Age

Prof. Barry Appleton, FCIArb, is one of North America’s leading legal architects of sovereign economic policy, trade law, and investment treaty arbitration. As Managing Partner of Appleton & Associates International Lawyers LP in Toronto and Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for International Law at New York Law School, he advises governments and strategic sectors on how to navigate and shape the evolving legal terrain of international commerce, digital sovereignty, and geopolitical risk.

A pioneer in cross-border NAFTA dispute resolution, Prof. Appleton has served as lead counsel in groundbreaking investor-state arbitrations, setting legal precedents that help define the field. His counsel has guided Canadian and international decision-makers and clients through high-stakes NAFTA, bilateral investment treaty and WTO cases—establishing him as a trusted voice in the corridors of international law and diplomacy.

Prof. Appleton holds degrees from Cambridge University, Queen’s University, and the University of Toronto. He is a member of the Law Society of Ontario, the New York Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and is admitted before the U.S. Court of International Trade.

In an era of deglobalization and strategic decoupling, Prof. Appleton is a foremost authority on how countries like Canada can reclaim and reassert sovereign legal and economic agency through bold, informed legal strategy.

Mr. James Hinton is the founder of Own Innovation and a proud supporter of Canadian technology companies. In addition to being an IP lawyer, he is both a patent and trademark agent before the Canadian IP Office and works directly for Canadian companies with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

He is also a fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, where he studies IP and innovation policy. Jim also has a background in mechanical engineering, and worked in heavy truck manufacturing and fiberglass project management, before law school. Additionally, he has a Bachelor of Engineering from McMaster University (Go Marauders!) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto.

Jim loves to talk about IP – he is an assistant professor at Western University where he teaches engineers all about IP. He’s also a huge advocate of pro bono legal services and works with entrepreneurs locally and nationally at incubators and accelerators on IP and IP strategy. Finally, he works closely with the Council of Canadian Innovators on Canada’s Innovation initiatives and Canada’s national IP strategy.

The masterclass format is a concise summary of 6 sessions delivered over a 3-hour period.

Upon completion of the masterclass learning objectives, participants will receive a BEI certificate.

Session breakdown:

• Framing the Challenge | Lead instructor: Prof. Barry Appleton
• Digital Sovereignty & Law | Lead instructor: Prof. Barry Appleton
• Case Study A: Algorithmic Empire: Canada’s Digital Sovereignty Challenge | Lead instructor: Prof. Barry Appleton
• From Invention to Ownership: Intellectual Property as Sovereignty | Lead instructor: Mr. James Hinton
• Case Study B: South Korea AI/IP Divergence | Lead instructor: Mr. James Hinton
• Final Integration: Harmonization & Leadership | Guest expert: Prof. Ann Fitz-Gerald