Mike Etienne

Mike Etienne is a patent and trademark litigation attorney, who also handles related false advertising, licensing, and trade secret disputes in federal court. Mike’s litigation practice spans several industries and technology areas including agricultural and farm equipment technology, LED luminaires, industrial alarms and controls, building software and controls, fire-resistant glass flooring, cursor modification technology, patient records software applications, contact lens products, and others.

Mike also prepares patents for a variety of local and national clients. To that end, he focuses his prosecution practice on obtaining patents covering medical devices, agricultural and industrial machinery, and various other electro-mechanical technologies.

Mike also prepares IP license agreements, performs IP due diligence for M&A and other transactions, and provides patent validity and infringement opinions to clients as well as advice on how to leverage clients’ existing intellectual property portfolios.

With a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Purdue University and professional experience as a field engineer with Baker Hughes Oil and Gas, Mike brings a wealth of knowledge to Taft. Prior to joining Taft, he was an attorney at a national business law firm in Indianapolis, where he helped clients in matters involving U.S. patent law, international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications, and foreign patent applications.

Patent Litigation Experience

• Represented plaintiff against LED manufacturer in patent litigation case to secure damages for past infringement in W.D. Tex.; successfully defended against related IPR.
• Represented defendant to maintain market share in patent infringement lawsuit directed to building management system technologies in N.D. Ind.
• Represented defendant against non-practicing entity (patent troll) in infringement lawsuit directed to cursor image modification technology in E.D. Tex.
• Represented plaintiff to secure damages for online retail sales in patent litigation matter involving household products in S.D. Ind.
• Represented plaintiff in patent infringement lawsuit, securing favorable settlement, in a case involving water tank alarms and related products in D. Minn.
• Represented defendant in design patent litigation in N.D. Ohio, successfully achieving early and favorable settlement for our client.
• Represented plaintiff in utility patent litigation involving bakeware and related cooking products.

Trademark, Trade Dress, Copyright & Trade Secret Litigation Experience

• Represented agricultural and farm equipment manufacturer to enforce brand protection and prevent importation of foreign knock-offs in several trademark, trade dress, utility patent, and design patent lawsuits in D. Minn.
• Represented plaintiff in intellectual property lawsuit involving medical records software in W.D. Mich. Spectrum of IP, including patent, copyright, and trade secrets.
• Represented defendant in grey market trademark dispute involving contact lenses in E.D.N.Y.
• Represented plaintiff in trade dress and trade secret litigation involving mechanical products, including water displacement pumps, in D. Minn.
• Represented plaintiff in multiple lawsuits involving copyright litigation to prevent competitors from using client’s product catalog to divert sales in D. Minn.

False Advertising Litigation Experience

• Represented plaintiff, manufacturer, in patent and trademark infringement and false advertising litigation to eliminate impermissible knock-off products, bait-and-switch conduct, and other unfair competition.
• Represented plaintiff and counter-defendant in lawsuit involving trademark, trade dress, false advertising, and tortious interference claims to protect client’s brand and prevent marketplace confusion in S.D. Miss.
• Represented plaintiff to protect patent rights and prevent false advertising in litigation associated with large-scale public infrastructure project and fire-rated glass technology in N.D. Cal.