Biography
Melvin Garner is a Partner in the firm of Leason Ellis. His practice includes all phases of patent, trademark and copyright litigation. It also includes patent procurement involving various technologies, as well as infringement and validity opinions.
He has appeared as an expert witness at several trials and has served as a mediator.
Mel has an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from New York University. He graduated from Brooklyn Law School where he was a member of the Brooklyn Law Review.
Mel is the author of numerous articles and of Chapter 13, “Intellectual Property Protection of E-Commerce” and Chapter 58, “Trade Secret Causes of Action and Defenses, Including Sample Pleadings,” Intellectual Property Counseling and Litigation, Matthew Bender (2010).
In addition, Mel is a frequent lecturer at PLI events. He is a Past President of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association and a Past President of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Mel is on the Executive Committee and is a founding member of the Hon. William C. Conner Inn of Court. He is also a member of the Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Mel received the AIPLA’s 2024 Excellence Award and the NYIPLA’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. He is listed in Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Patent Law Experts, Who’s Who Legal - Patents, and New York Super Lawyers.