Protecting Innovation. Winning When It Matters.

Patents are not merely paperwork. They are market position, deal value, and leverage, whether the innovation is a therapeutic candidate, a university research breakthrough, a consumer product design, a manufacturing process, or a software platform. A patent portfolio built without an eye toward monetization or enforcement can fail exactly when it is needed most, and a dispute handled without technical command can put revenue, product lines, and customer relationships at risk.

Who We Serve

Ice Miller helps clients build patent rights that hold up and enforce them when the stakes are highest. We advise:

• Life sciences and pharmaceutical companies
• Research universities and institutions
• Manufacturers
• Consumer products companies
• Technology businesses

We  pair litigation strength with prosecution depth across virtually every technical discipline. The strategy that protects an invention on day one dictates your power to win the competitive fights years later.

Why Clients Choose Ice Miller for Patents

Prosecution Built to Withstand Challenge.

In the last 12 months, at a glance:

• 1,383 patent applications filed
• 636 granted patents secured
• Clients from startups to the Fortune 50, including portfolio management for a $5 billion global technology company
• Litigation before federal district courts, the ITC, the PTAB, and the Federal Circuit
• Recognized by Chambers USA, Managing IP: IP Stars, and Best Lawyers

Our prosecution team works alongside our litigators to craft patent claims strategically, balancing scope of coverage with legal defensibility so that patent rights can survive scrutiny in court, at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and in transactional due diligence.

Technical Insight. Business Perspective.

Most of our patent attorneys hold advanced degrees, including Ph.Ds, in technical fields, such as electrical, chemical, computer, biomedical, and industrial engineering. Our team also has significant industry experience, including a former Supervisory Patent Examiner, former in-house patent counsels, a former senior vice president and general counsel, a former CTO, and scientists and engineers with real-world R&D experience. Our skills and experience allow us to understand how a client's technology works and provide practical advice aligned with its business goals.

Scaled to the Client.

We manage large, complex patent portfolios for companies ranging from startups to the Fortune 50, including handling a patent portfolio for a $5 billion global technology company. Experienced supporting staff and automated docketing and file management systems keep filings accurate and costs predictable. We efficiently match resources to the client’s needs, staffing each matter to the decision at hand rather than the size of the file.

Litigation That Delivers Results.

Our patent litigators handle bet-the-company disputes in federal district courts, the International Trade Commission, the PTAB, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. We represent patent owners and challengers alike in infringement, invalidity, post-grant, and derivation proceedings.

One Team Across the Full Business Picture.

Patent questions rarely arrive alone. They surface inside acquisitions, licensing negotiations, regulatory reviews, restructurings, and trade secret disputes. Our patent attorneys work integrally with Ice Miller's Corporate, Life Sciences, and Bankruptcy teams so clients receive one coordinated answer instead of several disconnected ones.

How We Help Clients Across the Patent Lifecycle

Portfolio Development and Prosecution.

We prepare and prosecute applications in the United States and globally across life sciences, electrical, computer, mechanical, chemical, and agrochemical technologies. We also counsel clients on patentability and freedom-to-operate assessments, prior art searches, landscape analyses, and inventor incentive programs that turn internal innovation into protected assets.

PTAB and Post-Grant Strategy.

We represent clients on both sides of Inter Partes Reviews, Post-Grant Reviews, derivation proceedings, and ex parte reexaminations, and we help clients decide when a post-grant challenge is the fastest, most cost-effective path to resolution.

Enforcement and High-Stakes Disputes.

We enforce and defend patent rights through trial, appeal, and arbitration, including multi-forum proceedings that move on parallel tracks. We also integrate foreign litigations and oppositions into patent enforcement strategies.

We have successfully resolved complex disputes involving:

• Mobile payment systems
• Food processing technology
• Vacuum sealing
• Medical devices
• Hospitality software
• Display and communication technology

Transactions and Due Diligence.

We support M&A, licensing, and portfolio acquisitions with IP due diligence, third-party portfolio assessments, and patent valuation, and we help research institutions and operating companies monetize portfolios through complex licensing. Clients turn to us to help them understand what a portfolio is worth, where its vulnerabilities lie, and how best to address them.

Recognition

• Chambers USA — Intellectual Property 
• Managing IP: IP Stars — Ranked in Patent Prosecution and IP Litigation
• Best Lawyers / Best Law Firms — Patent Law, Patent Litigation

Contact Our Patent Attorney Team

Protecting a new invention, evaluating a portfolio, or facing an infringement threat? Our patent attorneys are ready to help you secure and defend what your business has built. Contact us.