Michael G. Rodriguez
Practice Areas
- Copyrights
- IP Audits and Legal Opinions
- IP Due Diligence
- IP Portfolio Management and Counseling
- Patents
- Trade Secrets, Restrictive Covenants and Unfair Competition
- Trademarks, Trade Dress and Domain Names
Attorney Bio
Michael G. Rodriguez is the managing partner of Munck Wilson Mandala’s Austin office, and he is part of the technology/intellectual property law group. Michael’s practice emphasizes patent and trademark preparation and prosecution and includes domestic and international patent procurement and enforcement; analysis of infringement and invalidity in support of litigation. Michael also counsels clients on copyright and trademark enforcement and compliance. Michael’s clients work in a variety of industries, including construction, electronics, retail, restaurant, telecommunications, pet-care, vehicle manufacturing, and energy.
Michael has experience prosecuting and defending reexaminations in a variety of technical areas including power electronic devices, computer software, and semiconductor devices.
Prior to joining Munck Wilson Mandala, Michael worked as an associate at a prominent Dallas-based intellectual property boutique. Before attending law school, Michael was employed as a registered professional engineer with TXU, with senior engineering status.
Michael is an officer in the United States Navy Reserves, having achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He has received numerous commendations, including those for his actions during active duty in Iraq from July 2005 to April 2006 and Afghanistan from January 2011 to September 2011.
Representative Experience
- Responsible for domestic patent procurement for major telecommunications equipment manufacturer.
- Represented numerous technology clients to successfully obtain domestic and international patent protection for hundreds of inventions in varied technologies.
- Represented Navy Veteran to successfully resolve Uniformed Services Rights and Reemployment Act claim against a real estate franchise.
- Performed portfolio analysis and due diligence for patent licensors and licensees in various high-value commercial transactions.
- Performed defensive review and invalidity analysis of patents asserted by a vending machine manufacturer as part of licensing negotiations.
- Represented small business owner to successfully resolve copyright infringement claim against a regional competitor.
- Provided litigation support both against accusations of infringement and to enforce patents against infringers for clients in various technological fields.
Presentations & Published Works
Enforcing Your Patent Portfolio: Tips to think about before enforcing your patents; Michael Rodriguez and Kelly Chen, Inside Counsel, June 3, 2014.
Setting Your Business up for Success: Building a strong IP portfolio; Michael Rodriguez and Michael Phipps, Inside Counsel, May 20, 2014.
The Sword and the Shield: Building an offensive and defensive patent portfolio; Michael Rodriguez and Wallace Dunwoody, Inside Counsel, May 6, 2014.
Perfecting Patent Portfolio Management in the 21st Century; Michael Rodriguez and Jacob LaCombe, Inside Counsel, April 8, 2014.
Professional Associations & Memberships
State Bar of Texas
Dallas Bar Association
Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, member
Con Mi Madre, Mothers and Daughter Raising Expectations, member
DivInc, Austin accelerator for diverse entrepreneurs, mentor
Aggie Bar Association
Licensed Professional Engineer (inactive) in the state of Texas