Michael A. Silliman

Michael Silliman helps companies secure, protect, and enforce their technology. Michael practices in all areas of intellectual property law, including patent and trade secret litigation, adversarial proceedings at the USPTO (including inter partes review), patent prosecution, and technology transactions. Michael is a first-chair PTAB litigator and has represented both patent owners and defendants in district court and at the Federal Circuit. Michael also counsels clients on U.S. and international patent portfolio management, freedom-to-operate analyses, and licensing strategies.

Michael advises clients on matters involving a broad array of technologies, including energy tech, renewables, oil & gas, computer systems, AI, flash memory, software, electrical devices, and clean energy.

Michael assists clients in the IP-related aspects of corporate and technology transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, joint development arrangements, licensing, contracting and employment arrangements. Michael assists clients in crafting and negotiating agreements relating to IP ownership, IP transfers, confidentiality, software development and other commercial arrangements, including MSAs and SaaS agreements.

Michael is a frequent guest lecturer and speaker on IP matters, including tech transactions. Michael serves on the Intellectual Property Owners Association's IP Licensing Committee and on the AIPLA's Model Patent Jury Instructions Subcommittee.

Michael has a strong commitment to pro bono legal services, and has helped pro bono clients obtain asylum, seek tax relief, avoid wrongful eviction, and defend their civils rights in § 1983 actions.