612.349.5768 | gates@ptslaw.com
Mike Gates
Partner - Patent Attorney
Mike Gates is a partner with Patterson Thuente IP, focusing his practice on patent preparation, prosecution, reexamination and portfolio management. He has significant experience with management of complex intellectual property portfolios, including identifying and pursuing opportunities to expand and leverage portfolios, management of IDS filings across families of related applications, and developing organizational tools to easily communicate status and content of client portfolios.
Other experience includes international IP protection, drafting opinions of counsel for patentability and product clearance, assisting with due diligence related to investment financing and acquisitions, and post-grant proceedings including reexaminations.
Mike works mainly with clients in the medical device, mechanical and automotive industries. He has assisted a number of medical device companies as they navigate the often crowded IP landscape in order to establish a position that aligns with their business objectives. He has worked with several start-up companies, particularly in the implantable medical device domain, whose success in fundraising, acquisition and other exit strategies were supported by their strong IP portfolios.
- Implantable electrostimulation devices
- Ablation catheters
- Implantable defibrillators
- Orthopedic braces
- Infusion pumps
- Mass spectrometry
- Internal combustion engines
- Powersports accessories
Prior to joining legal profession, Mike spent four years working as a tech aide in 3M’s Automotive Aftermarket Division, where he gained experience in a large corporate environment assisting engineers and chemists with development and testing of automotive products for collision repair and paint refinishing. While in college, Mike spent three years competing in the Formula SAE engineering design competition.
University of Minnesota, B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2002
Hamline University School of Law, J.D., 2005
Patents on the Fast Track, Ideas on Intellectual Property Law, Year End 2010
Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association
Minnesota State Bar Association
Supreme Court of Minnesota
U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
United States Patent and Trademark Office
