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Michael D. Van Loy, PhD

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[email protected]

+1.858.314.1559

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Michael is a skilled patent attorney and technology protection strategist. He works with both growing and established companies to create, manage, and improve patent portfolios both in the US and worldwide. He works closely with experts in key patent jurisdictions worldwide to maximize enforceability and business value of clients' intellectual property rights.  Michael also advises clients on business-critical IP due diligence issues, patent portfolio valuation, and licensing agreements and has been instrumental in creative resolutions of potential IP roadblocks in high value transactions. 

Clients rely on Michael’s extensive experience, accumulated over 20 years of legal practice, to navigate the nuances of patent procurement and enforcement in Europe, Asia, Australia, and North and South America.  His skills in mining existing patent assets to enhance their value and in designing and implementing programs for protecting ongoing innovations are highly sought after by cutting edge technology companies.

Experience

  • Michael leads the Mintz team responsible for development and management of the worldwide patent portfolio protecting current and future products of a market leading e-cigarette manufacturer.  He applies innovative asset development strategies to leverage existing disclosures and on-going utility and design filings as part of an integrated, global strategy to interdict copycat products with a view toward market share protection and regulatory compliance.
  • Michael co-manages a sizable portfolio for a market-leading German developer of database and business software products, and collaborates with other Mintz attorneys to develop and apply effective strategies for addressing the ever-changing patentability landscape for software-based inventions.
  • Michael also co-manages the Mintz team that designs and implements a US and foreign patent program for one of the world's largest credit rating agencies, which is also a leader in fraud detection and other financial risk mitigation technology. The Mintz team has tailored the company's portfolio and filing strategies with a particular focus on jurisdiction and subject matter analysis to maximize the value of the company’s legal spend while securing protection in the markets where the company is most likely to achieve grant of valuable, enforceable assets.
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viewpoints

Software is Still Patent Eligible

February 16, 2017 | Advisory | By Michael Van Loy, Michael Renaud, Sandra Badin, Matthew Karambelas, Nicholas Mouton

In recent years, software patents have come under fire from legislation (the American Invents Act) that has generally made patents easier to invalidate, and from court decisions (the Supreme Court’s decision in Alice v. CLS Bank1 and its progeny) that have made computer-implemented inventions more vulnerable to subject matter eligibility challenges.
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On November 2, 2016 the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a memo to Examiners on its stance on subject matter eligibility in response to the McRO and BASCOM Federal Circuit decisions, previously discussed at Global IP Matters.
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Disavowal can occur when a patent holder disavows the full scope of claim terms in the specification or during prosecution (e.g., through the doctrine of prosecution history estoppel). In either event, disavowal requires clear and unequivocal evidence that the claimed invention includes or does not include a particular feature. 
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IP for Start-ups: Part VI

July 19, 2016 | Blog | By Michael Van Loy

In our sixth "IP for Start-Ups” video, “Getting the Correct Named Inventors on a Patent”, Mike discusses the importance of including all of the inventors on a patent and why it's important to name anyone who has a reasonable proximity to the invention.
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IP For Start-Ups: Part V

July 5, 2016 | Blog | By Michael Van Loy

In our fifth "IP for Start-Ups” video, “Copyrights versus Patents to Protect Software Innovations”, Mike discusses the pros and cons of using copyrights or patents to protect your software.
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IP for Start-Ups: Part IV

June 28, 2016 | Blog | By Michael Van Loy

In our fourth "IP for Start-Ups" video, "Are U.S. Patents Good Outside of the USA?", Mike discusses how geography plays into patent protection, both inside the U.S. and internationally.
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IP for Start-Ups: Part III

June 21, 2016 | Blog | By Michael Van Loy

As our weekly "IP for Start-Ups" series continues, IP attorney Mike Van Loy discusses the nuances behind writing claims that are both broad enough to capture potential infringers and specific enough to show that the patent is not covered by prior art, in our third video, "The Importance of Getting the Claims Right in a Patent".
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IP for Start-Ups: Part II

June 14, 2016 | Blog | By Michael Van Loy

Check out the second video in our "IP for Start-Ups" series, "The Folly of the 'One Killer Patent' Strategy", below.  Mike talks about the strategic advantage of having a modest patent portfolio, rather than only a single patent.
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IP for Start-Ups: Part I

June 7, 2016 | Blog | By Michael Van Loy

Protecting your ideas is important, especially as you get your business off the ground.  To kick-off the summer, we're launching our IP for Start-Ups series, with IP attorney Mike Van Loy.
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May 2016 101 Guidance from the USPTO

May 24, 2016 | Blog | By Michael Van Loy, Yogesh Patel

There have been some interesting recent developments, both at the Federal Circuit and the USPTO, regarding subject matter eligibility for patenting as it relates to computer-implemented inventions, software, and other technologies that have been heavily impacted over the past two years by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Alice v. CLS Bank.
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News & Press

Press Release Thumbnail Mintz

187 Mintz attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, three Mintz attorneys received 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 64 firm attorneys were included in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

Press Release Thumbnail Mintz

Mintz is pleased to announce that 120 firm attorneys have been recognized as leaders by Best Lawyers® in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©.

Press Release Thumbnail Mintz

Best Lawyers® recognized 108 firm attorneys in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, two Mintz attorneys – Poonam Patidar and Scott M. Stanton – received 2023 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 28 firm attorneys were included in the inaugural edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

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Events & Speaking

Speaker
Apr
23
2021

Masterclass: Patents 101

FORGE

Virtual Event

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Speaker
May
14
2018

USPTO Post-Grant Patent Trials 2018: Change & Recalibration

Practising Law Institute

PLI California Center 685 Market Street San Francisco, CA

Panelist
Aug
8
2016

Nuclear Innovation Bootcamp

University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Speaker
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Recognition & Awards

  • Best Lawyers in America: Patent Law (2021-2025)

  • Included on the San Diego Super Lawyers Rising Star: Intellectual Property list (2016)

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