The Entrepreneur Podcast · Eric Janssen and Eric Morse

79. Start-Up Law with John Wires

·1 hr 3 min·45 clips

John Wyers comes across as a go-to startup lawyer. Eric Chanson keeps things practical by focusing on what lawyers actually do inside founder decision-making. Wyers treats legal advice as part of the operating process, not a cleanup step after the fact. He argues that founders should think through risk early and remember that legal structure can be the difference between success and failure. Ownership comes up fast. Wyers explains that raising capital can dilute ownership, so founders need to understand that tradeoff before they sign. Intellectual property becomes the main technical thread. He breaks IP into copyright, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets or confidentiality agreements. On software, he draws a clear line between code and functionality. Copyright protects the source code, but not the underlying functionality, which means someone can build different code that does the same thing. From there, the discussion turns to what else can help protect the business. Trade secrets, confidentiality agreements, non-competes, and non-solicits all enter the picture. Wyers notes that non-competes have become increasingly difficult to enforce in Ontario for employees, with a narrow executive exception that is still somewhat vague. Patents are framed as something founders should consider when the business is built on a patentable idea. Employment and consulting agreements close the loop, especially where outside help creates immediate ownership questions. The episode keeps circling back to one point: legal structure should be thought through before the company grows problems around it.

As heard by us

A clear, founder-side look at the legal decisions shaping ownership, risk, and IP.

Eric Chanson and John Wyers treat startup law as part of the business, not something to worry about later. They move through the choices founders run into when capital, ownership, IP, and consulting work start to overlap.

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Why you'd press play

You want startup-law guidance from a lawyer who has spent over a decade helping entrepreneurs and small businesses across Canada think through the risks before they become expensive.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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