Overview
Michael Koch is a partner in a business law group and the Competition and Foreign Investment Group at Goodmans.
His practice focuses on federal regulatory matters, including competition, communications, foreign investment and copyright law, in both transactions and litigation.
Michael assists financial and strategic investors - both domestic and foreign - in completing mergers and acquisitions, advises and represents telecommunications and media companies in navigating Canada’s regulatory framework and before tribunals (e.g., the CRTC, Copyright Board of Canada and Competition Tribunal), and advocates on behalf of targets of government-initiated investigations and proceedings brought by the Competition Bureau. Michael also appears before the courts on reviews of, and appeals from, decisions of these bodies.
Michael is recognized as a leading lawyer in Canada in the areas of telecommunications by Chambers Global, Chambers Canada, The Legal 500 Canada, The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, the Lexpert Special Edition: Technology and Health Sciences and Best Lawyers in Canada.
Featured Work
Michael’s representative work includes acting for:
Competition Litigation
- Vancouver Airport Authority in the defense of a landmark abuse of dominance application before the Competition Tribunal
- Trader Corp. in private litigation before the Competition Tribunal
- Comwave Networks Inc. in the defence of a deceptive marketing inquiry concerning advertising claims of their Internet and home phone services
Investment Canada Act Approvals
- Vista Equity Partners in its agreement to acquire DH Corporation and combine D+H with its portfolio company, Misys for $4.8 billion
- Leadon Investment Inc. in its acquisition of British Columbia Investment Management Corp.’s Canadian hotel portfolio, SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts, for over $1 billion
- OMERS Private Equity, the private equity arm of OMERS, in the sale of its portfolio company, Give & Go Prepared Foods Corp. to an affiliate of US private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P.
- Match.com Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of The Match Group, in its US$575 million cash acquisition of PlentyOfFish Media Inc.
Competition Act Clearances
- Postmedia Network Inc. in connection with its acquisition of the Sun Media English language newspapers and digital properties from Quebecor Media Inc. for $305 million
- 7-Eleven Canada Inc. in its acquisition of 144 retail gasoline sites from Imperial Oil
Awards & Recognition
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Chambers Global Band 2, Telecommunications & Broadcasting 2025
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Chambers Canada Band 2, Telecommunications and Broadcasting 2025
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The Legal 500 Canada Leading Individual, Telecoms 2025
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The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory Most Frequently Recommended, Telecommunications 2025
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The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory Recognized, Competition Law 2025
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Best Lawyers in Canada Lawyer of the Year, Communications Law 2025
Credentials
Professional Involvement
Michael writes and speaks frequently for the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario Bar Association and University of Toronto on competition law, administrative law, communications regulation and copyright law. Michael serves as Vice-Chair of the Competition Committee of Business at OECD and is a past Chair of the Canada Bar Association’s Competition Section’s Unilateral Practices Committee.
Community Involvement
Michael is a proud kidney donor and serves as an ambassador for Renewal to promote live kidney donation.
Education
- University of Toronto, LL.B., 1986
Professional Affiliations
- Law Society of Ontario
- Canada Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Call to Bar
- Ontario
Insights
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Competition and Foreign Investment
The Investment Canada Act in Rapidly Changing Times
The decision of the U.S. government to at least temporarily impose 25% tariffs on most Canadian exports raises novel questions about the treatment of U.S. investments into Canada. This update… -
Competition and Foreign Investment
Competition Bureau Continues Enforcement Against Restrictive Covenants in Grocery Leases
The Competition Bureau announced yesterday that it has entered into an agreement with Empire Company (the parent company of Sobeys, IGA and others grocery chains) to remove a ‘property control’ that… -
Competition and Foreign Investment
The Cineplex Decision – A New Chapter Opens in Canadian Competition Law
The Competition Tribunal released its reasons in Commissioner v. Cineplex on October 3, 2024. It is the first decision under the Competition Act’s “drip pricing” misleading advertising provision… -
Competition and Foreign Investment
Canadian Government’s Approval of Glencore/Teck and a Ministerial Statement Signals Muscular New Standards for Investment Canada Act Undertakings and Metals and Minerals Transactions
Executive SummaryA recent approval under the Investment Canada Act (“ICA”), and a policy statement by the Minister, signals important developments for investors into Canada, including:The… -
Competition and Foreign Investment
The Public Competition Enforcement Review 16th Edition - Canada Chapter
Michael Koch, David Rosner, Josh Zelikovitz and Jon Wall co-authored the Canada Chapter of The Public Competition Enforcement Review 16th Edition.The Public Competition… -
Competition and Foreign Investment
Canada Expands Misleading Advertising Rules and Creates New Private Litigation for Misleading Advertising
The Government of Canada has proposed legislation to amend the Competition Act (the “Act”) to, among other things, (i) expand the scope of what constitutes misleading advertising, and (ii) permit…
News & Events
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Aging and Health Care
The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2025 Once Again Recognizes Goodmans
We are proud to announce Goodmans LLP continues to be recognized in the 2025 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.Congratulations to the 96 Goodmans lawyers recognized as leaders across… -
Banking and Financial Services
Chambers and Partners Once Again Honours Goodmans with Global Recognition
We are proud to announce Goodmans LLP continues to receive top-tier recognition from Chambers and Partners in the Chambers Global 2025 Guide released today.Recognition from Chambers and Partners is… -
Banking and Financial Services
Goodmans Once Again Receives Top-Tier Recognition from The Legal 500 Canada
We are pleased to announce Goodmans LLP has once again received top-tier recognition from The Legal 500 Canada in their 2025 Guide released today.Recognition from The Legal 500 is based on independent…