Dr. Michael A. Sartori (PhD, electrical engineering), described as an “electrical engineering wizard” and a “go-to for anything high-technology related” by IAM Patent 1000, The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners, has joined McCarter & English’s Intellectual Property practice as a partner in Washington, DC.
Sartori has prosecuted thousands of patents for clients in a wide range of high-technology industries, including medical devices, software, semiconductors, consumer electronics, internet communications, e-commerce, and video processing. He provides strategic guidance to clients on their patent portfolios as they develop, commercialize, and protect innovations that improve people’s lives.
“I couldn’t be happier to have Michael join McCarter’s IP team. Bringing his exceptional experience on board in Washington, DC, further expands our reach as a group and amps up our already-powerful patent prosecution capability in the high-tech space,” said Jonathan Sparks, PhD, chair of McCarter & English’s Intellectual Property practice group. “His notable technical background and experience as a patent examiner, combined with nearly 30 years of practice, gives him a valuable perspective on patent portfolio strategies that will be an asset to the innovative companies we serve.”
In addition to his patent prosecution work, Sartori provides guidance to clients prior to and during patent litigation, whether in an inter partes review, at a US district court or at the Federal Circuit. He also serves as part of cohesive litigation teams assisting clients with respect to their patent portfolio objectives, including providing opinions leading up to and during litigation. He regularly provides strategic counseling related to building patent portfolios and handles due diligence of patent portfolios in mergers and acquisitions.
Sartori advises large US, Asian, and European multinational corporations; domestic companies; startups; and individual inventors across a broad range of industries whose patents incorporate high tech. He capitalizes on the use of data, such as examiner analytics, to guide strategic decision-making in the prosecution of patents before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
“The fact that McCarter’s IP group is headed by a patent prosecutor was a major draw for me. Because of that, the firm has exactly the right systems and procedures in place to make the patent prosecution process both efficient and cost-effective for clients. That is an incredibly important factor in what can be a complex and lengthy process,” Sartori said. “In addition, I’m excited to be joining a very large IP group whose members hold an abundance and variety of doctorate degrees, the majority of whom also practice patent prosecution. The depth of technical knowledge at the firm is really superior.”
Prior to becoming a patent attorney, Sartori conducted research in the fields of artificial intelligence, neural networks, multidimensional signal processing and underwater acoustic signal processing, and was granted several patents for his inventions. As a patent examiner at the USPTO, he examined patent applications for computer speech processing, including recognition, processing and synthesis of speech, and received the Patent Academy’s Distinguished Graduate Award. A 1998 cum laudegraduate of Georgetown University Law Center, he earned his PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1991, after completing his MSEE in 1989 and his BSEE in 1987, also from Notre Dame.
Sartori is the second addition to the IP practice this year; in early February, Dave Christensen joined the practice in Hartford, as a partner. His focus is on patent protection strategies for a variety of highly technical fields, including optics, additive manufacturing, aerospace systems, consumer and industrial products, and renewable energy systems.
Before joining McCarter, Sartori was most recently a partner at Baker Botts LLP in Washington, DC, and previously a partner at Venable LLP in Washington, DC, where he served as chair of the Patent Prosecution and Counseling Group.
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