Biography
Michael P. Furmanek works with each client in all market sectors to develop and develop unique intellectual property strategies that creatively advance and protect their most valuable innovations. Mr. Furmanek focuses most of his practice on patent-related cases in the mechanical, electrical and software industries. He has over a decade of experience analyzing prior art issues, preparing patent applications, executing strategic patent applications, providing patent-related advice, and managing various IP portfolios. These experiences have been a very important asset in his career, helping him to represent and win multiple clients in reexamination proceedings (eg, inter partes reexamination) before the USPTO's newly established post-grant patent office. Mr. Furmanek's intuition, focus, and familiarity with the technical field have helped him win numerous lawsuits at the US Patent and Trademark Office and other jurisdictions around the world. Mr. Furmanek believes that his ability to consistently provide clients with up-to-date and experienced advice is not only due to his extensive experience in private practice, but also to his formal training in mechanical engineering , industry experience as an engineer in an automotive R&D laboratory, and work experience as an in-house legal counsel at a well-known automotive company.
Business area
- patent application
- Post-grant patent litigation
industry
- Auto & Transportation
- Clean Technology and Renewable Energy
- consumer goods
- Industrial and Mechanical Technology
- medical instruments
Agency experience
- After first helping a client obtain a broad patent on a transformative refrigerator shelf product, won a competitor's inter partes reexamination proceeding to the U.S. Patent Office against the patent.
- Provides practical professional advice to global consumer safety organisations by redefining and defining in-house invention protection procedures.
- Successfully assisted an international process control company in obtaining multiple patents by creatively emphasizing innovative developments in an art field with a long history.
- Construction of an international patent portfolio for a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company focused on the development of a novel wearable syringe for self-administering anti-infective therapy following cytotoxic chemotherapy.
- Successfully applied for and granted multiple international patents, providing comprehensive protection for customers' innovative handheld drug delivery devices, including multiple functions that facilitate use and optimize user experience.
Background and Diploma
Mr. Furmanek is primarily engaged in the preparation and litigation of domestic and international patent applications, providing clients with consulting services on patent portfolio management, patentability, patent enforcement and related issues. He also advises clients on general trademark matters.
He currently chairs the Industrial and Mechanical Technology Practice Group, is an active member of the Law Firm's Clean Technology Practice Group, and is a former elected member of the Firms Association Committee.
Prior to joining the law firm, Mr. Furmanek worked as an in-house patent counsel for an automotive supplier in Nagoya, Japan, a work experience that allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of client needs. During this time, he managed the preparation and litigation of multinational patent applications in various technical fields.
Mr. Furmanek received his Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University School of Law. While in school, he was a member of the DePaul Law Review and was awarded the DePaul University School of Law's Best Scholar Fellowship. Before attending law school, he earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Affiliated Bar Association
- Illinois
- Michigan
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- United States Patent and Trademark Office