10 MiMfg Magazine July 2021
PREMIUM ASSOCIATE
Member Spotlight
Michael B . Stewart
Patent Attorney , Litigator , Intellectual Property Specialist and Founding Member Fishman Stewart PLLC
Member since February 2021 • Learn more at fishstewip . com
The term Industry 4.0 has been here for a decade . “ Industrie 4.0 ,” was originally coined in Europe when a team of scientists helped the German government launch a high-tech strategy to promote the computerization of manufacturing . Across the globe , breakthroughs in robotics , artificial intelligence , quantum computing , the Internet of Things ( IoT ), 3D printing and other emerging technologies have and continue to transform the manufacturing landscape .
Many of these concepts are still relatively new to some manufacturers , but Industry 4.0 is evolving much more rapidly than previous industrial revolutions . This accelerated pace is due to the digital revolution , which resulted in easy access to an unprecedented amount of information that helps tomorrow ’ s technology build on today ’ s .
Thanks to this digital revolution , patents , trademarks , copyrights , trade secrets and other forms of intellectual property ( IP ) protection are now more important than ever . Businesses are realizing that protecting their trade secrets and their own ( and their customers ’) information is critical to their success .
If anyone has had their finger on the pulse of Industry 4.0 all along — even before the term was coined — that would be Michael B . Stewart . While working as an engineer at GM and as a systems engineer for the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan , Stewart was told , “ anyone who likes to argue as much as you do should become an attorney .” So he did .
After working at a general practice firm and realizing it wasn ’ t practical in the firm environment
Best Part of My Job I love both learning and sharing what I have learned . I am continuously exposed to fascinating people accomplishing amazing things and it is an honor to help them translate their creativity into something tangible that promotes their long-term objectives .
there to devote the amount of resources to intellectual property law that he felt were needed to meet client needs , Stewart cofounded a law firm that does just that . Fishman Stewart helps their clients turn their creativity into valuable “ intellectual capital .”
That was 25 years ago , and Stewart is still a practicing engineer . “ I do more engineering now than I did when solely working as an engineer before law school ,” he says .
The information age , Industry 4.0 and even the pandemic have increased the need for IP protection . “ Overall , our profession has been very busy ,” Stewart says . “ Information is power and controlling your data is valuable . Your creativity and protecting it is often more important than your physical assets such as a manufacturing plant .”
For those concerned about protecting their business-related creativity , Stewart advises , “ it ’ s important to have agreements in place and the right protocols in
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Many organizations are using technology to develop new , novel approaches to manufacturing . They may be able to capitalize on their ingenuity beyond meeting customer demand and increasing productivity . If you want to take what others have done and build upon it , Stewart recommends conducting “ state of the art searching .” And if you think you have invented something completely new , he recommends considering a “ patentability search ” and potentially filing for patent protection .
Other mechanisms to protect creativity include copyrights , which protect the expression of ideas , and trademarks , which typically focus on branding .
One thing is certain and is applicable to just about all of industry — protecting your creativity using IP has become increasingly important as we continue to march into a digital-driven future . 6