Michael J. Garvin
Practice Areas
Industries
Education
- College of William and Mary, J.D., 1984
- Miami University, B.S., 1981
Bar & Court Admissions
Michael is a partner in the Vorys Cleveland office and a member of the litigation and technology and intellectual property groups. His practice focuses on intellectual property and technology litigation, particularly patent litigation, including the prosecution and defense of patent infringement cases in the computer, telecommunications, medical device, electrical and mechanical fields; the prosecution of anti-piracy cases; the prosecution of software performance cases; and the prosecution and defense of several copyright, trademark, trade secret and non-competition actions.
Michael has tried more than 30 cases and other contested hearings, and has appeared as counsel in more than 60 patent infringement lawsuits, as well as dozens of trademark infringement, copyright infringement and trade secret lawsuits. In addition to intellectual property and technology disputes, he has also handled several business-related cases involving contracts, securities and other corporate law issues, and financial services.
Notable experience includes:
- Obtained a jury verdict of trademark infringement on behalf of a major brewery against the producer of a root beer branded similarly to the client’s iconic marks
- Defeated a motion for preliminary injunction in a patent infringement lawsuit which, if granted, would have shut down the client’s manufacturing facilities
- Obtained a jury verdict of nearly $10 million in a dispute between a foreign high technology equipment manufacturer and a U.S. distributor
- Prosecution of anti-piracy cases for a major international software developer
- Lead counsel for First Union, a REIT, in defense of an action brought in New York state court by preferred shareholders seeking to stop the proposed merger between First Union and Gotham Golf Company. The originally contemplated merger did not take place, but Michael’s victory on appeal cleared the way for First Union to enter into a more favorable merger with another company
- Represented a major shareholder group of First Union in litigation over control of the company
Michael received his J.D. from the College of William and Mary and his B.S. from Miami University.
Professional and Community Activities
- American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation Committee, Past co-chair
- Intellectual Property Owners Association, Member, 2017
Teaching/Speaking Engagements
- CMBA International Law Section Meeting, 10/4/2012
Honors & Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America, Cleveland Litigation - Intellectual Property “Lawyer of the Year,” 2019
- The Best Lawyers in America, Cleveland Patent Law "Lawyer of the Year," 2014
- The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation - Intellectual Property, Patent Law, Trademark Law, 2014-2019
- Chambers and Partners, Leading Lawyer in Intellectual Property, 2013-2018
- IP Star, Managing Intellectual Property magazine, 2014-2017
- Ohio Super Lawyers, Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Litigation, 2004, 2007-2018
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Peer Review Rated
News
- 8/15/2018One hundred and thirteen lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2019.
- 8/15/2018Nine lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently named 2019 Lawyers of the Year by Best Lawyers.
- 5/4/2018Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease is pleased to announce that 32 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized among the leading practitioners in the country in the 2018 edition of Chambers USA.
- 12/5/2017Vorys is pleased to announce that 56 attorneys from the firm have been named 2018 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
- 11/9/2017
- 8/17/2017One hundred and eight lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2018.
- 5/26/2017Vorys announced that 30 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized among the leading practitioners in the country in the 2017 edition of Chambers USA.
- 2/21/2017Michael Garvin, a partner in the Vorys Cleveland office, was quoted in a Technology Transfer Tactics story about a patent infringement lawsuit filed against Gilead Sciences by the University of Minnesota.
- 12/2/2016Vorys is pleased to announce that 58 attorneys from the firm have been named 2017 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
- 8/15/2016One-hundred and eleven lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2017.
- 6/14/2016Michael Garvin, a partner in the Vorys Cleveland and Akron offices, was featured in an Intellectual Property Law360 article regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to uphold the Federal Circuit's strict test for awarding enhanced damages in patent cases.
- 5/27/2016Vorys announced that 36 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized among the leading practitioners in the country in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA.
- 12/2/2015Vorys is pleased to announce that 63 attorneys from the firm have been named 2016 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
- 8/17/2015One-hundred and eighteen lawyers from Vorys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2016.
- 5/21/2015Vorys is pleased to announce that two Vorys partners, Vincent DeLuca and Michael Garvin, have been named to the Managing IP 2015 IP Stars List.
- 5/19/2015Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease is pleased to announce that 39 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized among the leading practitioners in the country in the 2015 edition of Chambers USA.
- 12/3/2014Vorys is pleased to announce that 74 attorneys from the firm have been named 2015 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.
- 7/24/2014Mark Watkins, a partner in the Vorys Akron office, and Michael Garvin, a partner in the Vorys Cleveland office, were profiled in an IP Law360 story titled “Vorys Strengthens IP Team With 2 Partners From Hahn Loeser.” The story was about their move to Vorys.
- 7/21/2014Mark A. Watkins and Michael J. Garvin, two of Ohio’s most experienced intellectual property attorneys, have joined Vorys as partners.
Events
- 1/21/2016Vorys Partner Michael Garvin was a speaker at the 20th Annual Intellectual Property Law: The Year in Review hosted by the Law Society of Upper Canada on January 21, 2016.
- 9/26/2013Vorys Partner Michael Garvin was a speaker at the 23rd All Ohio Annual Institute on Intellectual Property on September 26-27, 2013.
Insights
- 8/2/2018As recently as five years ago, third-party funding of litigation the United States was an anomaly.
- 1/4/2018For some savvy patent owners, enforcing patent rights through European Union (EU) courts has been a valuable tool in their efforts to extract value from their patent portfolios, whether those strategies focus on market exclusivity or monetization.
- 9/10/2015In August, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the federal appellate court with national jurisdiction over patent lawsuits, issued its decision in Limelight Networks, Inc. v. Akamai Technologies, Inc.
- 12/2014Michael Garvin, a partner in the Vorys Cleveland office and a member of the litigation group, authored an article for the Canadian Federated Press publication Intellectual Property. The article was titled “How "Inter Partes Review" Will Reshape Patent Litigation Advice.”
- 11/24/2014Michael Garvin, a partner in the Vorys Cleveland office and a member of the litigation group, authored an article for the Crain’s Cleveland Business/Legal Marketing Association (Ohio Chapter) 2014 Legal Guidebook.