Careers in Patents: An Alum’s Journey from Engineering to Intellectual Property

Discover how a background in engineering, computer science, or the sciences can lead to a career in patents, Intellectual Property (IP), and law. CECS alum, Marco Gatti, who is a Senior Counsel of Intellectual Property at Cummins Inc, will share his journey and what led him to this career path. 

During the conversation, you will:

• Learn about different roles and career paths involving patents, IP, and law
• Get and inside look at the work of Intellectual Property counsel and how technical knowledge contributes to the role
• Learn what you can do now to determine whether a patent or IP career might be a good fit
• Ask questions and connect with a CECS alum who has built a career at the intersection of technical expertise and law

About Marco Gatti

Marco Gatti is a registered patent attorney and focuses his practice on electrical, electro-mechanical, chemical and software matters for Cummins Inc.

Before joining Cummins as Senior Counsel in Electrification, Marco held the position as the GM Research and Development Intellectual Property and Export Compliance Manager overseeing several projects in emerging technologies. Part of Marco's duties in this role was to serve on the R&D Intellectual Property Review Board. These duties included the identification of inventions for patent protection, evaluating the business need for protection, and evaluating the patentability of such proposed inventions. 

Prior to becoming licensed to practice law, Marco worked as an Engineer for ten years in the automotive industry. Through many roles, Marco gained diverse experience in product design, precision manufacturing, project management and high-volume manufacturing of various automotive products. 

Marco is a named inventor on nine issued patents and has written several publications around open source software compliance. Marco continues to give talks about intellectual property law to students each semester at the University of Michigan and served as an Industry Advisory Board Member for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Michigan.