Michael Malinzak ( Mike )

Principal / Detroit Metro Office

With nearly two decades of practice, Mike is dedicated to helping his clients avoid surprises when it comes to owning, managing, and protecting their domestic and global IP assets. Always prepared, Mike’s forthright communication style is valued by clients in the U.S., Europe, and China. Mike’s practice focuses on the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in the electrical, mechanical, electromechanical, business methods, control systems, software, biomedical, and computer arts. He prepares freedom-to-practice, due diligence, and patent validity opinions, and negotiates agreements for dispute settlement and licensing matters.

Mike has decades of experience in advising clients on the creation and implementation of a global patent strategy, including planning, protection, acquisition, and exploitation initiatives. He is involved in dispute resolution, litigation claims, and defenses. Mike also devotes a considerable share of his practice to counseling clients across the spectrum of international IP matters including patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, social media, and cyberpiracy law.

In the News

PRESENTATIONS

  • “Typical case study of IP protection in the United States,” Keynote Speaker, Zijin International IP Summit in Nanjing, China, November 2017

An excellent listener, Mike consistently builds confidence though candid and honest dialogue about each clients’ specific needs, potential threats and opportunities, and overall institutional objectives. Mike’s ability to incorporate such goals into workable, international legal solutions is continuously appreciated, and he regularly travels around the world to meet with his clients to ensure that they are completely satisfied with his counsel and the Firm.

In addition to his practice at Harness IP, Mike is an Adjunct Professor at University of Detroit School of Law. He teaches a third-year course covering intellectual property due diligence in mergers and acquisitions.

Awards & Distinctions

  • Best Lawyers, Patent Law, 2018-2024
  • Chicago-Kent Law Review, Executive Editor
  • Order of the Coif
  • Tau Beta Pi

Memberships

  • American Bar Association
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Federal Circuit Bar Association
  • Michigan Bar Association
  • Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association

Education

J.D., with high honors, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 1997

B.S., Biomedical Engineering, with honors, Michigan State University, 1994

Bar & Court Admissions

Michigan

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Eastern District of Michigan

Western District of Michigan