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Matthew P. Warenzak
Partner / AtlantaMatthew (Matt) P. Warenzak is a Partner in the Intellectual Property Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.
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Full Bio
Mr. Warenzak is an experienced IP litigator, enforcing his client’s patents, copyright, and trademarks, as well as shielding them from frivolous IP claims. In addition, he procures patents and trademarks for his client, and offers counsel on other IP issues as well. Mr. Warenzak has successfully represented and assisted clients of various sizes, from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies, with IP matters across a wide range of fields, including medical devices, telecommunications, finance, banking, internet applications, heavy machinery, agricultural tools and systems, lighting, textiles, merchandising displays, and watercraft.
Mr. Warenzak’ s representation of clients includes a wide variety of general patent matters, including enforcing clients’ patent rights, representing clients before the United States Patent Trial and Appeal Board, prosecuting applications to obtain patents, and providing counsel in patent portfolio management. In addition, Mr. Warenzak assists clients with obtaining, maintaining, and enforcing their trademarks. He has also counseled clients on a variety of copyright issues, ranging from issues of authorship and ownership, sovereign immunity implications of suing state entities in federal court for copyright infringement, copyright’s fair use defense, and willful infringement.
Mr. Warenzak is admitted to practice before the Georgia Supreme Court, the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Patent Office. Mr. Warenzak is also a Pro Bono Partner for SGR, the Vice President for the Hon. Charles Pannell, Jr. IP Inn of Court, a member of the Pro Bono Committee for International Trademark Association (INTA), and an active member of The International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA).
In addition to his full-time legal practice, Mr. Warenzak is an Adjunct Professor of patent law at the University of Georgia School of Law, and was also a member of UGA’s Innovation External Advisory (IDEA) Board. He was a member of the Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance (GIPA) IP Leadership class of 2025, and a member of the 2018 Class of Leadership Buckhead. He is currently a board member for Propel ATL, a non-profit organization aimed at transforming Atlanta’s streets into safe, inclusive, and thriving spaces for people to ride, walk, and roll. Mr. Warenzak is an active supporter of the local arts, including being a current Advisory Board and former board member of Dad’s Garage Theater, Atlanta’s leading improv theater group, and a member of the Advisory Board and the former President of the Board of Directors for Out-of-Hand Theater. He was also a member of the advisory board for Georgia PATENTS, a program associated with Georgia Lawyers for the Arts aimed at helping solo inventors, non-profits, and small businesses find patent agents and attorneys to help draft and file patents on a pro bono basis.
Mr. Warenzak received his B.S. degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering, with highest honors, from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2002. While at Georgia Tech, Mr. Warenzak was a Presidential Scholar and a Georgia Tech Ambassador. Mr. Warenzak received his J.D. from the University of Georgia’s School of Law in 2006, where he was the Managing Editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law. Prior to enrolling at the University of Georgia, Mr. Warenzak worked for Caterpillar. He is also an avid bike commuter, and loves getting to places quicker than you do in your car.
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Bar Admissions
Georgia
USPTO
Federal District Court for Middle District of Georgia
Federal District Court for Northern District of Georgia
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit -
Education
Undergraduate- Georgia Institute of Technology
Law School- University of Georgia
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Memberships
Section of Georgia Bar, Intellectual Property Section
International Trademark Association (INTA)
The Honorable Charles A. Pannell, Jr Intellectual Property American Inn of Court
Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance (GIPA)
American Bar Association – Intellectual Property Section
Association of University Technology Managers
The International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA) -
Recognitions
The Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation – Intellectual Property, Atlanta (2021-2026)
The Best Lawyers in America®, Trademark Law, Atlanta (2023-2026)
The Best Lawyers in America®, Patent Law, Atlanta (2025-2026)
IAM Patent 1000 (2023-2025)
GIPA IP Leadership, Class of 2025
Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Star, IP (2014-2016, 2018, 2019)
Georgia Trend magazine - Legal Elite (2017)
Leadership Buckhead, Class of 2018 -
Publications and Speaking Engagements
AI x IP x Life Sciences, AIJA – Navigating the Future of Healthcare: IP Strategies, Regulatory Challenges, and Beyond – Copenhagen, DN – October 2025
IP Session – Emory Entrepreneurship Clinic – October 2024
‘Unenforceable? Is IP Enforcement in Asia Really So Different?’ AIJA – The Future of the Legal Profession: Reunite and Embrace the Change – Singapore – August 2022
Geoffrey Gavin & Matthew Warenzak, Disputed Claim Constructions, Patent World March 2009
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SGR Publications
- United States Patent and Trademark Office Expands Patents for Humanity Program to COVID-19 Inventions
- Update on USPTO and U.S. Copyright Office Extensions and Adjustments
- Impact of COVID-19 on Intellectual Property
- Legal Update: On-Sale Bar Applies to Secret Sales
- New Guidelines for Patent Subject Matter Eligibility from the USPTO
- Supreme Court Hears Arguments on On-Sale Bar for Patentability
- The Intersection of Trade Dress and Design Patents in Product Design
- Universities and Intellectual Property Law
- Kirsch and Warenzak Continue Teaching As Adjunct Law Professors
- SCOTUS Clarifies Long Established Patent Exhaustion Doctrine
- The On-Sale Bar for Patents Could be Available for Private Sales under AIA
- Kirsch and Warenzak Continue to Teach Law School IP Classes
- Supreme Court Rules that the Copyright “first sale” Doctrine Applies to Copies of a Copyrighted Work Lawfully Made Abroad
- Important Changes to U.S. Patent Law Under the AIA
- Patent Litigation Under the America Invents Act
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Press
- Six Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP Attorneys Recognized on “IAM Patent 1000” List of World’s Leading Patent Professionals of 2025; Firm Once Again Recognized as a “Highly Recommended” Patent Firm in Georgia
- The Best Lawyers in America® Recognizes 105 SGR Attorneys in 2025 Edition
- Smith Gambrell Russell Attorneys Recognized on “IAM Patent 1000” List of World’s Leading Patent Professionals of 2024; SGR Recognized as a “Highly Recommended” Patent Firm in Georgia
- The Best Lawyers in America® Recognizes 102 SGR Attorneys in 2024 Edition
- SGR Attorneys Recognized on “IAM Patent 1000” List of World’s Leading Patent Professionals of 2023; SGR Recognized as a Leading Patent Firm in Georgia
- Best Lawyers in America Recognizes 91 SGR Attorneys in 2023 Edition
- Best Lawyers in America Recognizes 66 SGR Attorneys in 2022 Edition
- Best Lawyers in America© Recognizes 63 SGR Attorneys in 2021
- Smith, Gambrell & Russell Represents Tecum Equity in Purchase of Pinnacle Cranes
- Smith, Gambrell & Russell IP Partner Matthew Warenzak Named to UGA’s IDEA Board
- SGR Attorneys Named to 2019 Georgia Super Lawyers List