About Michael
Michael brings extensive experience to Burr & Forman in all facets of Intellectual Property law, as well as a team of IP patent agents and other paraprofessionals. Prior to joining us as IP Of Counsel, Michael was a partner at the national IP firm of Merchant and Gould for 22 years and then the founder of Altera Law Group, an IP boutique law firm, where he still practices jointly through his affiliation with Burr & Forman. He is one of a few attorneys who has continuously practiced in all areas of IP, namely patent, trademark and copyright (including advertising law) for his entire career. In that period he has become a recognized international speaker on strategic use of intellectual property. In addition, he has experience in a multitude of specialty areas, including:
- Infringement analysis and opinions of patents, trademarks and copyrights
- Trademark and copyright protection in the United States and abroad (having approximately 1,000 filings)
- Brand name creation, name clearance and strategies for world marketing of company and product names
- Advertising and Internet law
- Patent drafting and prosecution (approximately 1,000 patents)
- Worldwide corporate competitive intelligence of competitors’ technological and branding developments
- Domestic and international licensing of know-how and IP rights
- Due diligence clearance for mergers, acquisitions and IPOs
- Anti-counterfeiting
- Technology transfers including international transfers
- Patent litigation and litigation strategy
- Preparation of commercial agreements including license agreements and employee non-disclosure/non-compete agreements
In addition to his intellectual property law practice, Michael has extensive experience in marketing-related issues, including strategic positioning, brand management, brand creation and licensing. He is the founder of Aktia Corporation, a brand name creation and marketing consulting firm that specializes in developing integrated brand strategies for companies.
Michael is a frequent university lecturer on integration of intellectual property into business strategies and is internationally recognized as a speaker on branding strategy and intellectual property topics. He has addressed audiences at International Trademark Law Association (INTA); Association of European Trademark Owners; the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA); The Trademark Institute of Sweden; The Canadian I.P. Association; McGill University, and International Licensing Executive Society (LES). He is also a guest lecturer on IP topics at Emory Law School and Georgia Tech University.
Michael is a registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Attorney. In addition, he is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, several federal appeals courts, the states of Minnesota and Georgia, and the Canadian Patent Office.
He speaks Danish, Swedish and Norwegian fluently amongst others.
Michael received his Juris Doctor (cum laude) from Syracuse University College of Law in New York. He also holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (with distinction) from the University of Minnesota and is a published author.