Savvy advisor on patent prosecution and portfolio management strategies

Michael Sanko focuses on utility patent prosecution involving mechanical, electrical and software-related inventions as well as design patent prosecution. He advises clients on domestic or international patent portfolio procurement and management strategies. He also helps clients navigate complex patent landscapes by assisting with freedom-to-operate analyses and infringement analyses of utility and design patents. Michael’s experience encompasses a wide range of industry sectors, including:

• Aerospace
• Automotive
• Manufacturing
• Consumer goods
• Gaming, software and consumer electronics

Prior to becoming an attorney, Michael worked as a mechanical engineer for a multinational automobile company, where he drove development of innovative applications of advanced additive manufacturing technologies and designed dynamic plastic injection molds for production of large components of new model automobiles.

During law school, Michael worked with entrepreneurs as part of a legal clinic for small businesses and consulted on both intellectual property and corporate law matters.

Bar Admissions

• Illinois

Education

• Loyola University Chicago School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2020)
  • Intellectual Property Law Society, member
  • Chicago Intellectual Property Colloquium, fellow
  • Loyola University Chicago Law Journal, lead articles editor
  • Business Law Clinic, student clinician

• Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (M.S. in Law, with honors, 2017)
  • Intellectual Property Law
  • High Tech Law Society, executive board member
  • International Team Project: U.S. & German Approaches to Autonomous Vehicle Development

• University of Dayton (B.S., 2014)
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineering, member

• Recent Trends in Article of Manufacture of Design Claims: A Modern Digital Popularity Contest