Michael J. Colitz, III Attorney At Law

Michael focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation. He has litigated numerous patent, trademark, and copyright matters in courts throughout the country and has jury trial experience as both first and second chair. Michael is Board Certified in Intellectual Property Law by The Florida Bar and is a past chair of The Florida Bar’s Intellectual Property Law Committee. Michael is also a registered patent attorney with extensive experience in patent application preparation and prosecution. His prosecution experience includes obtaining patents on behalf of clients in technologies such as robotics, thermodynamics, medical devices, and building materials. Michael is currently an adjunct professor of law at the University of Florida where he teaches patent practice.   

• Background

  Prior to becoming an attorney, Michael worked as a registered patent agent for a Washington, D.C. law firm where he assisted in patentability, patent infringement, and patent validity studies.

  During law school, he served as a senior associate member of the Stetson Law Review and finished second in his class.

• Education
  • University of Notre Dame, B.S., mechanical engineering (1991)
  • Stetson University College of Law, J.D. (cum laude, 1998) 
• Admissions
  • Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Representative Patents
  • U.S. Patent 5,542,806, titled "Fluid Actuated Lifting and Tilting Device"
  • U.S. Patent 6,209,625, titled "Heat Pipe With Hydrogen Getter"
  • U.S. Patent 6,572,653, titled "Vertebral Implant Adapted for Posterior Insertion"
  • U.S. Patent 6,622,935, titled "Articulated Crop Spraying Apparatus"
  • U.S. Patent 6,659,967, titled "System and Method for Noninvasively Evaluating a Limb Suspected of Compartment Syndrome"
  • U.S. Patent 6,732,499, titled "Method and Apparatus for Gathering, Transporting and Processing Aquatic Plants"
  • U.S. Patent 7,175,695, titled "Apparatus and Method for Enhancing Filtration"
  • U.S. Patent 8,486,516, titled "Plastic Coated Composite Building Boards and Method of Making Same"
• Professional Associations and Memberships
  • The Florida Bar
    • Board Certified in Intellectual Property
    • Business Law Section
    • Trial Lawyers Section
    • Intellectual Property Law Committee, Chair, 2017-2018
  • Federal Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  • Florida Venture Forum, Board of Directors
  • University of South Florida, Young Innovator Competition, Panel Judge, 2012
• Awards and Recognitions
  • Best Lawyers In America, Patent Law, 2018-2025
    • Lawyer of the Year, 2020, 2024
  • Florida Super Lawyers, 2011-2024
    • Rising Star, 2009 
• Reported Decisions
  • Direct Imaging Systems, Inc. v. U.S. Graphic Arts, Inc., 2007 WL 778633 (M.D. FL)
  • Perfect Barrier LLC v. Woodsmart Solutions, Inc., 2008 WL 2230192 (N.D. IN)
  • Thornton v. J. Jargon Co., 580 F.Supp. 1261 (M.D. FL)
  • Mailplanet.com, Inc. v. Lo Monaco Hogar, S.L., 291 Fed. Appx. 229 (11th Cir)
  • Electrovert Limited v. Technic Corporation, 2010 WL 2757416 (M.D. FL) 
  • GIW Industry v. SPI/ Mobile Pulleyworks, Inc, 2011 WL 11068112 (S.D. AL)
  • Mercury Enterprises, Inc.v. Vesta Management Group, LLC, 2012 WL 2087439 (M.D. FL)
• Presentations and Seminars
  • "False Advertising and the National Advertising Division of the BBB," The Florida Bar Annual Convention, Orlando, Florida, June 20, 2024
  • Program Chair, 6th Annual Intellectual Property Law Symposium, The Florida Bar, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 5-6, 2015
  • "Patent Law Update," Orange County Bar Association, June 17, 2014
  • "Intellectual Property Rights at Airports," Airports Council International, Legal Affairs Conference, Dallas, Texas, April 7, 2014 
  • "Patent Law Update," 5th Annual Intellectual Property Symposium, Tampa, Florida, March 21, 2014 
  • "Protecting Your Innovation Under the America Invents Act," Tampa Bay Innovation Center, Innovation '11, October 19, 2011
  • "America Invents Act," ASME, Florida West Coast Section, September 28, 2011
  • "First to File vs. First to Invent: A Debate of the Pros and Cons of the America Invents Act," The USF Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors and the USF Division of Patents and Licensing Present Seminar Series, September 9, 2011
  • "Patent Reform Update," STAR TEC, TECH Talk, July 12, 2011
  • "Legal Issues for the Non-fiction Publisher," The Poynter Institute, July 2010
  • "Protecting Your Innovation," Star Tec Entrepreneurship Conference, June 2009
  • "Common Misconceptions About Copyright Law," Imperial Polk Advertising Federation, March 2009
  • "Risk Taking and Money Making," STAR Technology Enterprise Center Entrepreneurship Conference, March 2008
  • "Hurricane Protection Meets Idea Protection: Securing Your Company's Intellectual Property Rights," World of Hurricane Protection Conference, April 2008
  • "Patent Law Update," National Business Institute, December 2007
  • "Copyright Law and the Internet," Imperial Polk Advertising Federation, October 2007
  • "Patent Law Basics," Florida Bar Intellectual Property Law Certification Review Course, July 2007 
• Articles and Publications
  • My View, "Patent Death Squad," Business Observer, June 2015