Dr. Michael Sartori is Chair of Venable's Patent Prosecution and Counseling practice. As a registered patent attorney, he focuses his practice on patent prosecution, patent portfolio counseling, and patent litigation.

For patent prosecution and counseling, Dr. Sartori provides a comprehensive, business-goal-orientated approach to developing and managing his client’s patent portfolios. Keeping his client’s business objectives in mind, Dr. Sartori crafts and implements cost-effective strategies to achieve his client’s goals for their patent portfolio, whether U.S. only or worldwide.

For patent litigation and counseling, Dr. Sartori provides guidance prior to and during patent litigation. He often serves as part of a cohesive and tactical litigation team that is driven to achieving the client’s litigation goals. He has also provided opinions leading up to litigation, including infringement, validity and enforceability opinions.

Dr. Sartori has provided patent guidance to various U.S., Asian, and European clients in a wide variety of fields, including semiconductors, consumer electronics, electro-optics, video processing, Internet telephony, software, e-commerce, mobile apps, defense systems, industrial manufacturing, medical devices, consumer products, and industrial designs. He has worked with large multi-national corporations, U.S. companies, start ups, and individual inventors.

Dr. Sartori's experience as a researcher and as a Patent Examiner provide a unique perspective to the U.S. 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. With the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a Patent Examiner, Dr. Sartori examined patent applications for computer speech processing, including recognition, processing, and synthesis of speech, and received the Patent Academy Distinguished Graduate Award.

Dr. Sartori has been and continues to be recognized for his outstanding client service, including:

"Lawyer of the Year" for Washington, DC Technology Law, 2014 by The Best Lawyers in America
The Best Lawyers in America, 2007-2015
Chambers USA (for Patent Prosecution in the District of Columbia), 2012-2014
IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners, 2013-2014

Significant Matters
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 for multiple millions and eventually sold for over $80 million.
Represents large multinational corporations in building their U.S. 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, resulting in the competitor eventually purchasing the patent portfolio.
Developed a software patent portfolio for an individual inventor that was ultimately sold to a major U.S. corporation.
Arranged for various clients (a software simulation company, a video processing company, and a semiconductor 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

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 financial services corporation on a patent dispute involving patents related to check payment systems.
Represented a major U.S. bank in patent licensing negotiations involving products for offering credit and additionally for products involving payment processing.
Provided due diligence to a U.S. 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.