Michel Morency is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP and chair of the firm’s Boston Intellectual Property Department. He is a member of the firm’s Chemical, Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical and Private Equity & Venture Capital Practices, as well as the Life Sciences, Emerging Technologies, Food & Beverage and Nanotechnology Industry Teams.
Dr. Morency serves as counsel to many sectors of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, and nutraceutical/dietary supplement business communities, including top–tier pharmaceutical companies, public and private companies, including start-ups and established companies, as well as non-profit research and educational institutions and hospitals. His experience encompasses numerous technologies such as neurobiology, stem cell and transgenic technologies, immunology and vaccine technologies, cancer therapeutics, tissue and organ regeneration, blood cells and blood products, drug delivery, drug discovery, computationally assisted drug design, gene therapy technologies, genomics, proteomics, antioxidants, nutraceuticals and dietary supplement technologies, and biomedical devices. Dr. Morency has extensive experience in advising clients on all aspects of intellectual property strategy, including the creation and management of patent portfolios, as well as developing and implementing strategies for leveraging clients' intellectual property assets to promote revenue and meet their business objectives.
In his practice, Dr. Morency:
- Designs strategic intellectual property portfolios, developing and implementing strategies for leveraging clients' intellectual property assets to promote revenue and meet their business objectives
- Advises clients on all aspects of the acquisition and exploitation of intellectual property rights through licensing, mergers, acquisitions, and strategic collaborations
- Represents both companies and investors with regards to intellectual property assets and the formation and funding of ventures built around technology portfolios
- Prepares various types of opinions including invalidity, non-infringement, patentability, and freedom-to-operate opinions
- Counsels clients in patent interference and intellectual property enforcement and litigation issues
Dr. Morency's selected legal publications include:
- "Nutraceuticals and functional foods require governance, present opportunity," Mass High Tech, James F. Ewing and Michel Morency, October 3, 2005
- "Knowledge generation, integration key in drug development strategies," Mass High Tech, James F. Ewing, John M. Garvey, and Michel Morency, July 6, 2004
- "Rational Decisions: Rational-drug-design firms are now under patent scrutiny. But this is a good thing." Bio IT World, John Garvey and Michel Morency, June 17, 2004
- "Computationally-Guided Rational Drug Design: The Biotech Industry's Rational Progression for New Drug Development," Financier Worldwide / Biotechnology Sector Review, John M. Garvey and Michel Morency, June 2004, pp. 23 24.
- "Well-written IP strategy puts startups on roadmap for development," Mass High Tech, John M. Garvey and Michel Morency, April 5, 2004
- "Patent strategy can bring collaboration revenues," Mass High Tech , Michel Morency, James F. Ewing, Chinh Pham, and John M. Garvey, February 2, 2004
- "How to get licensees to help you monitor the market for infringers," Mass High Tech, Michel Morency, James F. Ewing, and John M. Garvey, October 13, 2003
Dr. Morency earned his LL.B. degree, cum laude, from the University of Ottawa. Dr. Morency received his Ph.D. in Medical Sciences – Neurosciences from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His research focused on the pharmacology and molecular biology of dopamine receptors. He also holds a B.Sc. in life sciences from Queens University (with honors).
He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. He is a member of the American Bar Association, American Intellectual Property Law Association, Boston Bar Association, Boston Patent Law Association, and the Patent and Trademark Institute of Canada.
Dr. Morency was selected for inclusion for four consecutive years to the Massachusetts Super Lawyers® lists, an honor received annually by only 5% of Massachusetts attorneys.