Michael Samardzija is an intellectual property attorney with over 23 years of both extensive scientific research and legal experience, particularly in the life sciences and clean technology industry sectors. He began his journey as a scientist, dedicating years to understanding the technical nuances that drive innovation.  Michael has focused on empowering organizations in these dynamic industries to navigate the complex landscape of intellectual property.

Michael specializes in assisting life sciences and clean technology companies in securing, transferring, commercializing, and protecting their groundbreaking innovations. His extensive experience includes patent prosecution and strategy, where he crafts tailored approaches to maximize the value of intellectual assets. He also assists clients on a wide range of transactional matters, including licensing agreements, technology development contracts, acquisition deals, joint development collaborations, strategic alliances, product distribution agreements, and various other commercial arrangements.

Through his comprehensive understanding of both the scientific and legal dimensions, Michael provides his clients with strategic guidance that not only helps to secure their innovations but also enhances their competitive edge in the marketplace.  Michael has also been an integral part of patent litigation teams.  For example, he was an integral part of a litigation team in a patent infringement lawsuit dealing with genetic testing equipment that resulted in a jury trial with a final judgment of $150M and, as the lead client-side attorney, he was part of a litigation team that successfully obtained a favorable judgment of in a breach of contract dispute over unpaid royalties.  The blend of extensive experience in science and law allows Michael to be a great litigation strategist and provides him the ability to translate complicated science to juries and judges.  

Over nearly nine transformative years at an academic healthcare center, as an Officer of the University, reporting directly to the President, and serving on the main leadership committees, Michael has driven the negotiation of more than 500 clinical trial agreements, 270 research collaboration agreements, and over 1,000 confidential disclosure, data transfer, and material transfer agreements. His leadership extended to overseeing critical regulatory committees, including the Institutional Review Board, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Institutional Biosafety Committee, Stem Cell Committee, and the Research Conflict of Interest Committee. Additionally, he has strategically managed LLUH’s patent portfolio and developed a specialized expertise in investigating research misconduct allegations.

Michael is an adjunct faculty member at Loma Linda University Health where he teaches Biomedical Entrepreneurship and Research Integrity.

Professional & Civic Engagement

  • Member, Licensing Executive Society (Past Chair of Life Sciences Sector, 2015 Annual Meeting Chair)
  • United States Patent & Trademark Office
  • Certified Licensing Professional

Thought Leadership

Publications 

  • Supreme Court Delivers a Jolt to Patentees in Medtronic, The National Law Review, Jan.2014 
  • Co-Author, A Myriad of Issues to Consider in the Wake of Myriad.  Texas CEO Magazine, November 2013.
  • Co-Author, Texas Puts its Lone-Star Spin on Trade Secret Protection, IP Today, May 2013
  • Co-Author, Batting Practice with DNA Patents at the U.S. Supreme Court, IP Today, April 2013
  • Co-Author, Opening Shots in Gunn v. Minton: The Petitioner’s Brief and Several Amici Curiae Briefs in Support. JD Supra, December 2012.
  • Co-Author, Lame-Duck Patent Reform Goes Almost Entirely Unnoticed, Law360, December 2012
  • Co-Author, Deciding Where Patent Malpractice Actions Belong, Law360, October 2012
  • On Remand, Federal Circuit Spreads Mayo on Myriad, Westlaw J of Intellectual Property, September 2012
  • Innovators Take Note, “Imitation Two-Year Provisional” Option Extended Through 2012.  Intellectual Property Today, April 2012.
  • Co-Author, Can’t Touch This – Supreme Court Finds Personalized Medicine Patent Claims Invalid.  Intellectual Property Today, March 2012.
  • Co-Author, Clash of the Titans, BNA Patent, Trademark & Copyright J, August 2012 
  • Recent Patent Rulings Can Impede the Progress of Personalized Medicine.  Biofarm International, August 2009.
  • Of Patents and Cancers: The Implications of the Case Against Myriad.  BioWorld Online, July 2009. 
  • Bucking The Anti-Patentee Trend, The Federal Circuit Adjusts The Anticipation Rule In The Patentee's Favor.  Thomson Reuters, June 2009.
  • Minimizing Liability for Copyright Infringement.  Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, 21(1): 16-20 (2009).
  • Still Under Construction: The Patent Prosecution Highway and the Triway: Are These The Roads To A World Patent Office?  Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, 20(11): 23-27 (2008). 
  • Co-Author, Compulsory Patent Licensing:  Is it a Viable Option for the United States.  13 Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review 509 (2007).
  • The Obvious War. Science 315(5809): 190-191 (2007).
  • Federal Trademark Infringement and State Sovereign Immunity:  A Case Note.  12 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 9 (2001).
  • Assignment of a Registered Mark.  12 J. Contemp. Legal Issues 201 (2001).
  • Co-Author, Inhibition of Phospholipase A2-Mediated Arachidonic Acid Release by Cyclic AMP Defines a Negative Feedback Loop for P2Y Receptor Activation in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney D1 Cells. J Biol Chem. 9; 274(15): 10035-8 (1999).
  • Co-Author, A Comparison of Acoustical Properties of Two Types of Human Skeletal Muscle during Muscular Fatigue.  Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 29(5) Supplement: 25 (1997).

Presentations

  • How Changes in Procedures at the EPO are Impacting Patent Practitioners and Licensing Professionals Licensing Executive Society Annual Meeting 2014
  • Biotechnology Innovations after Myriad and Prometheus, Licensing Executive Society Annual Meeting 2013
  • Business Aspects of Patent Reform, Federal Laboratory Consortium, September 2012
  • Business Aspects of the Patent Reform, Licensing Executives Society Spring Meeting, May 2012
  • Effects of Patent Reform on Licensing and Acquisitions, Licensing Executives Society Seattle Chapter, April 2012
  • Business Aspects of Patent Reform, Licensing Executives Society, February 2012
  • BioHouston, September 16, 2008.  Houston, TX. Patent License:  Drafting Tips in Light of Recent Court Decisions.
  • Life Science Technology Venture Forum, May 15, 2008.  Advisory Board Member, Rice University, Houston, Texas;  Judge participating companies' elevator pitches.
  • People to People, Citizen Ambassador Program, Invited delegate, April 2008.  The goal of this delegation was to improve and encourage the relationships between the Intellectual Property Community in the United States, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
  • Department of Internal Medicine Grand Rounds, July 23, 2007.  The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; Protecting lifescience innovations.
  • Technology Transfer Luncheon, July 12, 2007.  BioHouston, Houston, Texas; The Latest Changes in the U.S. Patent System.
  • Eighth Annual Intellectual Property Symposium, February 9, 2007.  The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas; Abolishing Applicant’s Duty of Candor and Good Faith to the PTO during Patent Prosecution.
  • Frontiers of Intellectual Property, November 10-11, 2006.  The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas; Panel IV – Patent Reform; Compulsive Patent Licensing of Non-Used Patents

Honors & Awards

  • National Research Service Award, National Institutes of Health, “Vascular Ca2+ Sensitivity

Languages

  • Fluent in French. Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian