Dr. Michael Sartori is a registered patent attorney. His practice is focused on patent prosecution, patent portfolio counseling, and patent litigation for US, Asian, and European clients in a wide variety of fields, including semiconductors, consumer electronics, electro-optics, video processing, Internet communications, software, e-commerce, mobile apps, defense systems, industrial manufacturing, medical devices, consumer products, and industrial designs. He advises large multinational corporations, US companies, start-ups, and individual inventors.
For patent prosecution and counseling, Michael is a recognized thought leader in using examiner analytics and provides a comprehensive, business-goal-orientated, data-driven approach to developing and managing his client’s patent portfolios. Keeping his client’s business objectives in mind, Michael crafts and implements cost-effective strategies to assist his client’s goals for their patent portfolio, whether US only or worldwide.
For patent litigation and counseling, Michael provides guidance prior to and during patent litigation, whether in an inter partes review (IPR), at a US district court, or at the Federal Circuit. He often serves as part of a cohesive and tactical litigation team that is driven to assist with the client’s litigation goals. He has also provided opinions leading up to litigation, including infringement, validity and enforceability opinions, as well as freedom-to-operate opinions.
Michael’s background as a researcher and as a patent examiner provides a skilled perspective to the US patent system. Prior to becoming a patent attorney, he conducted research in the areas of artificial intelligence, neural networks, multi-dimensional signal processing, and underwater acoustic signal processing and was granted several patents for his inventions. While serving as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Michael examined patent applications for computer speech processing, including recognition, processing and synthesis of speech, and received the Patent Academy’s Distinguished Graduate Award.
Patent Procurement Matters
- Built and oversaw a worldwide patent portfolio related to video surveillance for a start-up technology company. The patent portfolio was licensed and eventually sold for $80 million.
- Represents large multinational corporations in building their US patent positions in the areas of semiconductors, electro-optics, consumer electronics, manufacturing techniques, and industrial designs.
- Counseled a major consumer electronics manufacturer on developing their patent portfolio in concert with their involvement with a standard setting organization, and thereafter managing prosecution of the patent portfolio.
- Strategically set up a patent portfolio to overlap a competitor’s products for an Internet search company; the competitor eventually purchasing the patent portfolio.
- Developed a software patent portfolio for an individual inventor that was ultimately sold to a major US corporation.
- Arranged for various clients (a software simulation company, a video processing company, a semiconductor company, and a chemical company) to provide training presentations to large groups of examiners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office regarding their technologies and innovations.
Counseling Matters
- Provided strategic counsel to a large multinational consumer products corporation regarding their patent portfolio in comparison to the patent portfolios of numerous competitors.
- Counseled a multinational electronics corporation regarding competitors’ patents for ink jet printers, power line communication devices, automotive back-up cameras, automotive sound systems, optical sensors for digital cameras, Internet telephony, electrical-optical converters, and laser optical systems.
- Counseled an international defense company on various patented technologies, including targeting systems, remote weapon systems, and human-machine interfaces for weapon systems.
- Represented an enterprise software company in patent license negotiations involving enterprise monitoring and simulation software.
- Represented an international heavy industries corporation in a patent dispute involving linear operated train doors.
- Represented a target shooting equipment manufacturer in the acquisition of patents for blank-firing firearms
- Represented a major clothing manufacturer in patent disputes with a non-practicing entity involving patents related to shipment and delivery messaging systems and another non-practicing entity involving patents related to Ethernet technology.
- Counseled a global investment management firm on various patent assertions from multiple entities, including patents related to asset allocation, rollover accounts, account management systems, and Internet telephony.
- Represented a US financial services company in patent licensing negotiations involving its website.
- Represented a financial services corporation on a patent dispute involving patents related to check payment systems.
- Represented a major US bank in patent licensing negotiations involving products for offering credit and additionally for products involving payment processing.
- Provided due diligence to a US financial institution regarding the acquisition of a patent portfolio for customer loyalty programs.
Litigation Matters
- Represented an international consumer electronics company against a non-practicing entity in the Eastern District of Texas involving visual voicemail.
- Defended against patent infringement claims involving compressing and downloading audio and image data of the Internet, including a successful appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
- Represented an enterprise software company in a patent suit in the Eastern District of Texas involving message-orientated middleware.
- Defended a financial services company in the District of Delaware against patent assertions involving electronic trading.
