Mark Montague

Mark is head of the firm’s patent group. Mark is a patent attorney registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and has over 30 years of experience counseling large, medium, and small-sized companies in a variety of technical fields.

Mark’s practice focuses on advising clients on the protection of inventions in the U.S. and abroad, defending clients against charges of patent infringement, conducting patent due diligence studies (e.g., patent infringement analyses, patent validity analyses), and overseeing other attorneys and personnel in the firm’s patent group.

“In my free time, I enjoy volunteering. I co-founded and for eight (8) years served as general counsel for the New York not-for-profit charity Ardsley Friends of the Visual Arts. I currently assist the charity with fundraising to support and promote visual arts to school-age children. I currently provide pro bono patenting services to inventive high school students through the InvenTeams program that is sponsored by the Lemelson-MIT foundation. Along with other employees of the firm, I currently provide pro bono legal services to aspiring entrepreneurs through VOLS (Volunteers of Legal Services), and volunteer at the Bowery Mission, helping feed individuals and families in need. For nearly a decade, I was a parent volunteer for Boy Scouts of America and a soccer coach and referee for the American Youth Soccer Organization.”

Honors & Recognitions

New York Super Lawyers

Intellectual Property Law (2013 to present)

Recipient of the Ardsley School District’s distinguished Jenkins Award

Service to the community above and beyond the line of duty (2011)

Obtained pro bono the 1st patent to an Inventeam of the Lemelson-MIT Program, U.S. Patent 7,850,189, for Curb Climbing Wheelchair Attachment (2010)

Community & Professional Activities

• Pro Bono:

• Provide pro bono legal services through VOLS (Volunteers of Legal Services) clinics, assisting small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs with a range of intellectual property matters (2024 to present).

• Assist high school Inventeams with securing patents on student inventions (2022 to present). The Inventeams program was developed and is sponsored by the Lemelson-MIT foundation to encourage and support the creative process of high school aged children.

• Co-founder and General Counsel of Ardsley Friends of the Visual Arts Corporation, a New York 501(c)(3) Charity, which assists high school visual arts programs (2016 to 2023).

• Regional judge at Annual Collegiate New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) (Spring 2023).  This annual competition showcases the most innovative student-led startups from New York and provides a platform for training New York’s next generation of entrepreneurs.

• Teaching experience:
• Adjunct Professor of Patent Law & Trade Secrets at New York University School of Professional Studies (2002-2016)
• Professional Organizations:
• New York State Bar Association - Member, Intellectual Property Law Section
• American Bar Association - Member, Intellectual Property Law Section
• New York Intellectual Property Law Association - Member
• American Intellectual Property Law Association - Member

Experience

Head of the Firm’s Patent Group

Mark has experience with patent application drafting, patent infringement litigation, patent licensing, patent due diligence studies, patentability, infringement and validity studies, and counseling in other areas of intellectual property including trademark, trade dress, copyright and trade secret protection and enforcement.

Prior Employment

• McAulay, Nissen, Goldberg & Kiel, LLP, Partner (2000), Senior Associate (1997-99)
• Curtis, Morris & Safford, PC, Associate (1993-97)
• Prior to becoming an attorney, Mark  was a design engineer in electrical engineering at Grumman Aerospace Corporation (now Northrop Grumman). At Grumman, Mark assisted in the design, development and integration of test equipment for the F-14D Tomcat fighter aircraft.  (1989-1992)

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