Steve McAuley is a registered patent attorney and member of the intellectual property law firm of Seager Tufte Wickhem. He is based in the firm’s Minneapolis, Minnesota office.
Steve serves as outside General and Chief Patent Counsel to medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and clients in a wide range of industries. Steve’s practice involves all aspects of intellectual property law, including patent portfolio strategy and management, FTO and patent landscaping evaluations, counseling on domestic and foreign litigation and patent enforcement strategies, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and unfair competition.
His transactional practice of intellectual property law encompasses due diligence and counseling related to corporate merger, acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures in cooperation with the preparation and negotiation of various commercial agreements and transactions.
Steve knows first-hand what in-house attorneys look for in their outside counsel, including quality of representation and appropriate value based pricing.
Prior to joining Seager Tufte Wickhem in 2013, Steve worked in the medical device field for thirteen years and served as Vice President and Chief Patent Counsel of the Interventional Cardiology, Peripheral Interventions & Cardiac Rhythm Management Divisions of Boston Scientific Corporation. In that role, Steve oversaw all aspects of intellectual property management and operations. As a member of the senior management team, Steve was responsible for counseling senior management on domestic and foreign intellectual property strategy, FTO, patent litigation and corporate and technology transactions. Prior to working at Boston Scientific Corporation, Steve was a patent attorney with the firm of Merchant & Gould, P.C.
Steve is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association (MIPLA), American Bar Association (ABA) and Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA).
Raised in St. Charles, Illinois, Steve received his J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Mathematics from The School of Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science from Marquette University.
Practice Areas
- Patent portfolio analysis, strategy and management
- Freedom to Operate (FTO)
- Patent landscaping evaluations
- Litigation counseling, domestic and foreign
- Trademarks
- Copyright
- Trade secrets
- Unfair competition
- Corporate counsel and transactions
- Due diligence for corporate mergers and acquisitions
Industry Sectors / Specialties
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
- Mechanical Arts
- Computer Technology
- Optics
Education
- University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
J.D.
Specialization: Intellectual Property Law and Computer/Information Technology Law - Marquette University
B.S. Mechanical Engineering; Minor in Mathematics from The School of Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota (1998)
- U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (2000)
- U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota (1998)
Honors, Awards and Special Achievements
- Named one of the leading patent practitioners World-Wide in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024 as published in the “IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Professionals” reference guide.
- Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Star in Intellectual Property Law; 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 Editions
- University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
- Editor-in-Chief: The John Marshall Journal of Computer and Information Law
- Law Review Academic Scholarship
- Edward D. Rosenberg Academic Scholarship
- The National Dean’s List
- The American Society of Writers on Legal Subjects (Scribes); CALI Honor Award
- Phi Delta Phi Legal Honor Fraternity
Professional Affiliations
- AIPA
- MIPA
- ABA
- MSBA
Community Involvement
- Lotus Lake Conservation Alliance (501 (c)(3) Organization): Board Member
- Chanhassen Lions Club; Board Member
- Minnetonka High School Trap Team (501 (c)(3) Organization): Board Member
Publications
- Steven A. McAuley et al., What Keeps In-House Counsel Up at Night?, 997 PLI/PAT 951(2010).
- Matthew A. Doscotch & Steven A. McAuley, New York Times Co. v. Tasini: Striking a Balance Between the Rights of a Freelance Author in Their Individual Works and the Rights of a Publisher in Its Collective Works, 1 U of Ill. J.L., Tech. & Policy 218 (2001)
- Steven A. McAuley, The Dynamics of Computer and Information Technology Law in Conjunction with the Global Information Infrastructure: A Foreword, 16 Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 777 (1998)
- David E. Sorkin & Steven A. McAuley et al., Mandatory Internet Filtering Software in Public Libraries: Constitutional and Freedom of Information Act Implications, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 685 (1998)
- Steven A. McAuley, Comment, The Federal Government Giveth and Taketh Away: How NSI’s Domain Name Dispute Policy (Revision 02) Usurps a Domain Name Owner’s Fifth Amendment Procedural Due Process, 15 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. 547 (1997)
Presentations
- Practising Law Institute, San Francisco, California – Spring 2010-Spring 2013 MCLE Lecturer
- Lectured on domestic and international corporate counsel practices for the Annual Patent Law Institute.
- Twin Cities Medical Device Seminar, Minneapolis, Minnesota – Winter 2007 CLE Lecturer
- Lectured on U.S. and foreign litigation and alternative dispute resolution strategies in the medical device industry.
- Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, California – Summer 2006 MCLE Lecturer
- Lectured on Post-Grant Patent Oppositions in The European Patent Office (EPO) for a Special IP Focus Series.
- The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois – Spring Semester 2006; Fall Semester 1996 to Summer Semester 1997 – Visiting Lecturer & Teaching Assistant/Research Assistant
- Lectured on Intellectual Property Due Diligence in Corporate Transactions for a Seminar on Selected Intellectual Property Topics class.
- Assisted in teaching computer-assisted legal research for Lawyering Skills II class.