Michael A. Morales joined Ropes & Gray’s intellectual property litigation group in 2019. Michael represents clients in a variety of intellectual property matters, including patent, copyright, false advertising and trade secret disputes. His experience includes pre-suit investigations; drafting pleadings, motions, and briefs; arguing motions in court; drafting written discovery requests and responses; preparing for and conducting depositions; and preparing for hearings.

Michael has worked on litigation in federal district courts, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and the International Trade Commission. In addition to litigation matters, Michael advises clients on issues including standard-essential patents and licensing. His experience covers a range of technical fields, including semiconductor devices, image sensor technology, consumer entertainment devices, network architectures and devices, ridesharing services.

Michael also maintains a pro bono practice spanning various areas of the law, including wrongful conviction, immigration, adoption, and copyright infringement

Prior to joining Ropes & Gray, and during law school, Michael worked as a patent agent, prosecuting patents related to semiconductor and computer networking technology. Michael also worked as an electrical engineer for an industry leader in aerospace and defense technology and satellite communication systems. Michael was the editor-in-chief of the Touro Law Review and graduated summa cum laude. He also served as a judicial intern for the Eastern District of New York.

Experience

  • Certain Networking Devices, Computers, and Components Thereof and Systems Containing the Same (337-TA-1298) – Defended NetApp, Inc. in a one-patent suit related to quality-of-service technology. Successfully terminated the investigation based on waiver grounds. Argued the dispositive motion terminating the investigation.
  • Teradyne, Inc. v. Astronics Corporation (C.D. Cal.) – Representing Teradyne, Inc., a leading supplier of automation equipment for test and industrial applications, in a case raising copyright, breach of contract, and unfair competition claims against Astronics Corporation and a subsidiary.
  • Certain Electronic Devices, Including Streaming Players, Televisions, Set Top Boxes, Remote Controllers, and Components Thereof (337-TA-1200) – Defending Roku Inc. against claims of infringement in a six-patent case relating to remote control programming technology. 
  • ParkerVision, Inc. v. LG Electronics Inc. (W.D. Tex., PTAB) – Represent LG in a 10-patent litigation and two inter partes reviews involving Wi-Fi wireless down conversion technologies.
  • Centripetal Inc. v. Palo Alto Networks (E.D. Va.; PTAB) – Representing one of the world’s leading cybersecurity companies in a 13-patent infringement suit relating to network security, and as petitioner in more than 15 related PTAB proceedings challenging every claim of every asserted patent.
  • Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 v. Micron Technology, Inc. (W.D. Tex.) – Representing IP Bridge in a four-patent suit relating to the fabrication and design of DRAM chips.
  • Cellect LLC v. Samsung Electronics (D. Col., Reexaminations 90/014,452 – 457) – Representing Samsung Electronics in a case involving eleven patents directed to cameras in smartphones and tablets. Filed ex parte reexaminations challenging five of the patents on double patenting grounds.
  • Palo Alto Networks v. Packet Intelligence LLC (N.D. Cal.; PTAB) – Representing Palo Alto Networks in a suit seeking declaratory judgment judgement of non-infringement and in related IPRs of five patents directed to network monitoring and analysis. Successfully achieved a stay of district court litigation upon institution of five inter partes reviews. The PTAB had previously denied institution of IPRs on the same patents, which also had been successfully litigated against others. 

Areas of Practice