About Brown & Michaels, PC

Brown & Michaels' is headquartered in Ithaca, the "centrally isolated" home of Cornell University and Ithaca College in central New York State. We are a New York Professional Corporation, but our technology is modernized for full remote capability so we can work wherever we go, as long as we can tap into the internet!

Similarly, once upon a time, it might have made sense to hire an expensive firm in Washington, DC or New York City. Today, the remote capabilities of the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States Copyright Office make it easy for a quality law firm like ours to work in less populated areas, avoiding the expense of major cities, such that we can serve nationwide and worldwide clientele as well as, or better than, the expensive big city firms, but at signficantly more affordable rates. Inventors, companies, and institutions of all shapes and sizes have come to realize the many advantages of working with a non-urban, intellectual property firm like ours.

• High quality -- both process & results are important
• Experience in new technologies such as biotechnology, computer hardware/software, and telecommunications.
• Low overhead means clients do not pay higher rates to subsidize expensive office space.
• Emphasis on high quality and client satisfaction, not on billable hours or prestige.
• Inventor involvement in every step of the process.
• Fast, convenient communications via email, phone, videoconferencing, or chat platforms.

Founded in 1980, our firm engages in an intellectual property practice which includes patents, trademarks, and copyrights. We have advised inventors, institutions and companies in fields ranging from high-tech computer hardware and software, or the latest developments in biotechnology, communications, or sophisticated electronic systems, to improvements in household appliances. Our clients are located around the United States and around the world - we are perfectly comfortable working by phone, fax and e-mail with clients who will never physically be in our offices. We have represented many individual inventors and small companies, as well as large corporations such as BorgWarner Morse TEC, IBM, Smith Corona, and Lucent Technologies, and educational institutions such as Cornell University and Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research.

Our inventors have received patents on chemical processing systems, test equipment, musical instruments, vaccines and medical diagnostics, energy systems, furniture, games, tools - you name it.

We perform trademark searches quickly and accurately by computer, and we have registered thousands of trademarks for our clients. 

New York State court rules require the following disclaimer: "Prior results cannot and do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter, including yours, in which a lawyer or law firm may be retained."

Staff Biographies

Our patent attorneys and patent agent are all registered and qualified to practice in the Patent and Trademark Office. To send an e-mail to one of the group, you can click on their name, below, and click on "Linkedin" to see their Linkedin profile.

Would you like to add a "virtual business card" to your contacts list for our firm or for any of our staff? Most e-mail programs support the vCard standard. Just click on "vCard" after an entry on this page, select your e-mail program to open the vCard if necessary, and a business card entry will automatically be created.  

Patent Attorneys

Michael F. Brown is a 1974 graduate of Cornell University College of Engineering, with a degree in Industrial Engineering (Data Processing). After working as a computer systems analyst and programmer for a number of years, he attended Cornell University Law School, passing the Patent Bar to become a Patent Agent while still a student. With Ralph R. Barnard (now retired), he founded our firm in 1980 as "Barnard and Brown". Mr. Brown was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1981, and is also admitted to practice in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He has prosecuted many patent applications in a wide variety of fields, from animal vaccines to computer software, avionics and automotive products, household appliances to radio communications. Mr. Brown was selected to the New York Super Lawyers list each year from 2011 to 2016 as well as in 2007, and has received a "Distinguished" peer review rating from Martindale-Hubble. An Extra Class amateur radio operator and a licensed pilot, he has a strong practical background in electronics, computers and communications technologies. Mr. Brown is a 45-year veteran Scouter, a recipient of the Silver Beaver award from the Baden-Powell Council, Boy Scouts of America, and wrote the 1985 and 2008 editions of the Radio Merit Badge book for the BSA. He has been a member of the Ithaca Rotary Club for many years, and has been a guest speaker on "Weird and Wonderful Patents" and "Intellectual Property on the Internet" at over 50 Rotary Clubs, libraries, BOCES and other organizations around New York State. Mr. Brown retired on July 1, 2017. 

Christopher A. Michaels is a graduate of Bucknell University, with a degree in Biochemistry. While working with our firm as a Patent Agent and Business Manager, he earned a degree in law from Syracuse University and has been the managing partner and CEO since 1994.  He earned an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He has worked as an executive for technology companies through multiple product development, financing and manufacturing rounds. He also consults for early stage technology companies providing strategic business development, strengthening the company’s intellectual property position, assessing competitive landscapes, supporting product pipeline partnership licensing, and assessing future technology licensing opportunities. He is admitted as an attorney in New York and also to the Federal District Court for the Northern District of New York. Mr. Michaels has been working with our firm since 1989 and primarily practices in the areas of patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, computer law and business law, with a special concentration in the rapidly developing area of Biotechnology. He has published articles on "Obviousness-style Double Patenting Isn't So Obvious", in the the Patent Journal, "The Utility Requirement in Biotechnology Patenting" in the Journal of the Patent Office Society, and on "Grant Applications as Publications", in the Journal of the Association of University Technology Managers. He has edited several books on trademark and patent practice.* Linkedin

Garth E. Coviello Since 2008, Garth Coviello has lived and worked in central NY while assisting clients with patent, trademark, and copyright matters. In this time, Garth has prepared or prosecuted hundreds of U.S. and international patent applications related to LED lighting, electrical connectors, medical devices, surgical devices, turbines, power systems, refrigeration, radar, semiconductors, nanotechnology, machine tooling, software, and computer systems, among other technologies. Garth's technical education includes an undergraduate degree from St. Lawrence University in physics and biology, and a master's degree from Binghamton University in philosophy with an emphasis on artificial intelligence, computer science, and systems science. Garth's technical experience also includes several years, prior to law school, engineering electrical connectors and robotic, automated manufacturing systems. In addition to patent preparation and prosecution, Garth counsels clients regarding matters such as licensing agreements, intellectual property infringement, patent validity, patentability, and trademark registerability. Garth enjoys working with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to national-scale and international-scale companies, catering to each client's specific expectations and needs to provide strong intellectual property protection and a high value at a reasonable cost.*

*Shareholder in Brown & Michaels, PC, a New York Professional Corporation. 

Patent Agents

Lynda Wood is a registered Patent Agent and a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Biological Sciences, specializing in Genetics. Lynda has worked at Brown & Michaels, PC since 2001 and in this time has prepared and prosecuted hundreds of cases in various fields including biotechnology, computers and automotive technologies. Lynda has also managed patent portfolios for Fortune 100 and 500 companies. Lynda has worked with clients and foreign agents on prosecution of their cases in the US and overseas as well as PCT practice. Lynda also has experience in preparing and filing design applications. Linkedin

Lorenzo Luna is a registered Patent Agent and a graduate of University of L'Aquila, Italy, with a degree in Computer Science. Lorenzo joined Brown & Michaels, PC in 2020 as a Technical Specialist, lending his expertise and analytical abilities to assist the firm with patent prosecution in the areas of computer software and elsewhere. After training at Brown & Michaels, PC, Lorenzo became a registered Patent Agent in 2023. Lorenzo also works on maintaining and improving this website.

A complete Staff Directory with e-mail addresses and phone extensions is available on this web site.

We look forward to being able to work with you for your intellectual property needs. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us by e-mail, phone, or at the postal address below.