Michael R. Houston

Michael R. Houston is a prominent patent litigation attorney and a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, where he leads the firm's Patent Office Trials Practice. His practice encompasses a wide range of intellectual property disputes, including patent infringement and trade secret cases, trademark litigation, and investigations before the International Trade Commission (ITC). Dr. Houston's deep technical background, including a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and experience as a named inventor on over 40 patents, underpins his work across diverse technologies such as electronics and microelectronics, pharmaceuticals (including ANDA litigation), medical devices, solar panels, semiconductor manufacturing, complex mechanical devices, and computer software and algorithms.

Throughout his career, Michael Houston has demonstrated experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in patent matters. Of the six tracked appearances, four have been on the plaintiff side and two on the defendant side, indicating a balanced practice with a slight inclination toward representing patent holders. He has held significant roles such as Lead Counsel and Partner in these cases, primarily while at Foley & Lardner, though he also appeared as counsel for Houston Legal in one instance.

His notable case work includes representing Generac Power Systems, Inc., et al., and Harbor Freight Tools USA Inc. et al. as plaintiffs. Within Foley & Lardner, he is a key member of the IP Litigation and Chemical, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Practices, as well as the Health Care & Life Sciences and Energy Sectors.

Dr. Houston possesses extensive experience in post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He leads Foley & Lardner's Patent Office Trials Practice, focusing on inter partes reviews (IPRs), post-grant reviews (PGRs), and derivation (DER) proceedings. His proficiency in this area is highlighted by his recognition from Patexia® as a Top-5 Best Performing Attorney for IPRs. His team at Foley & Lardner boasts an exceptional track record, prevailing on over 90 percent of instituted IPR cases for petitioners and achieving rare wins for patent owners, including the successful defense of the first IPRs involving Orange Book-listed pharmaceutical patents. He has specifically represented clients in IPR proceedings such as IPR2025-01457 for Generac Power Systems, Inc., and IPR2022-01282 for Vivint, Inc..

He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law, a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S., summa cum laude, from Georgia Institute of Technology. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Federal Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.