Michael Siekman

A partner in Goodwin’s Life Sciences group and Intellectual Property practice, Michael Siekman focuses his practice on intellectual property matters, including patent prosecution, licensing and post-grant proceedings and litigation. Leveraging over 25 years of experience, Michael has built in-depth patent portfolios, advising clients in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Michael keeps clients’ business goals in mind as he regularly provides legal counsel in the litigation matters, including Hatch-Waxman matters, and post-grant solutions for biosimilars. He has successfully led matters before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and the European Patent Office. His transactional practice involves licensing agreements, collaboration agreements, and IP-related aspects of mergers, acquisitions, IPOs and other financings.

Michael has extensive practice with biosimilars and has written and presented often on the topic.

Michael’s representative experience includes:

• Lead counsel in two IPRs defending BTG International’s patent covering its antibody product. Obtained termination of IPR with parallel ITC proceeding and denial of institution of second IPR*
• Lead counsel in four IPRs defending four Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory patents relating to short hairpin RNA (shRNA). Obtained denial of institution of all four IPRs, preserving Cold Spring Harbor’s widely licensed shRNA patent portfolio*
• Lead counsel in interference for Dyax against Adimab. Invalidated Adimab’s patent and obtained patent to same invention by proving 11 months of diligence*
• Served as an expert on US patent law in several EPO opposition proceedings*
• Defended IP diligence on biotechnology client in acquisition valued at USD$6.5 billion*
• Obtained seminal patents in the fields of gene therapy, phage display, yeast display, the transgenic production of proteins in animals, and lipid nanoparticles*
• Prosecuted one of the most widely licensed biotechnology patent portfolios, with projected milestones and royalties of several hundred million dollars per year*
• Directed the patent prosecution for a lifesaving biologic, including a successful appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit*
• Obtained Patent Term Extensions and coordinated Supplementary Protection Certificate strategies for several clients*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin

• American Intellectual Property Law Association – PTAB Trial Committee
• Boston Patent Law Association
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
  • Nominating and Governance Committee, 2018 – present
  • New England Chapter Board of Directors, 2013 – 2016
  • Diabetes Innovation Fund Board of Directors, 2011

Prior to joining Goodwin, Michael was a partner at McDermott Will & Emery. Previously, he was chair of the practice group leaders and co-chair of the Biotechnology practice group of an intellectual property boutique law firm.

• IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners, 2022 – 2023
• Legal 500 USA, Recommended Lawyer, 2022 – 2023
• Massachusetts Super Lawyer – Intellectual Property, 2011 – 2019
• National Science Foundation Award

• Boston University Journal of Science & Technology Law, Articles Editor