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Michael Warnecke is of counsel in the firm's Patent Litigation practice. He has been a partner from 2007 to 2016 and has served as firmwide co-chair of the Patent Litigation practice from 2009 to 2015. His practice focuses on major patent litigation cases, including international patent, technology licensing and other intellectual property matters. He has been first chair on numerous patent litigation cases in which he represented companies such as Caterpillar Inc., Brunswick Corporation, MetLife and Mitsubishi Corporation. In one of the most significant cases of his career, Michael obtained successful damages and injunctive relief for Rockwell International on a major trade secret matter. The case was later affirmed on appeal where it garnered substantial national media attention for its innovative use of computer graphics to present evidence.
More recently, in August 2010, Michael was lead trial counsel in the Riddell v. Schutt case. This patent infringement case involved Riddell’s significant football helmet technology developed to reduce concussions. The jury award of $30 million was the largest in Wisconsin history for a patent case.
In the 1990s, Michael was selected by the People's Republic of China trade delegation, led by Vice Premier Li Lanqing, to host a two-day seminar for American automotive and after-market companies, as well as the Chinese delegation on the legal aspects of doing business in China.
At the request of the Chinese government, he also provided advice on the redrafting of the 1984 Patent Act. Similarly, in 1993, he provided advice on the Unfair Competition Act, which was adopted in 1994.
Michael’s extensive experience has led him to be retained as an expert witness in many litigation matters.
Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Michael was the chair of the Intellectual Property practice at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw in Chicago.
