Michael O. Warnecke

Michael O. Warnecke is a senior patent litigator with a practice focused on defending major operating companies in complex, high-stakes disputes. Now Senior Counsel at Perkins Coie in Chicago, he was formerly the firmwide co-chair of its patent litigation practice. His career, which began with a role as a U.S. Patent Examiner, spans several decades and includes representing prominent clients such as Caterpillar Inc., Brunswick Corporation, and Mitsubishi Corporation. His technical focus, grounded in his mechanical engineering background, often involves industrial equipment and consumer products. The provided case list shows him as lead defense counsel for Oura Health in a recent patent dispute over wearable fitness-tracking technology, which is consistent with his history of representing established companies.

Warnecke has served as first-chair trial counsel in numerous patent cases. Notable outcomes include securing a $30 million jury verdict for Riddell in a case involving football helmet technology, which was the largest patent verdict in Wisconsin's history at the time. He also obtained significant damages and injunctive relief for Rockwell International in a major trade secret case that received national attention. His practice has a significant international dimension, including advising the government of the People's Republic of China on the redrafting of its patent and unfair competition laws. While his experience in district court litigation is extensive, his specific work before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) in IPR proceedings is not detailed in readily available sources.

Prior to his long tenure at Perkins Coie, which began in 2007, Warnecke was a partner at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, where he chaired the Intellectual Property group. His career also includes partnerships at Keck, Mahin & Cate and Neuman, Williams, Anderson & Olson. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.