Michael J. Cavaretta

An experienced business and transactional lawyer, Mike represents a wide range of life sciences, technology, digital media, and other innovation-based companies.

Mike’s practice is focused on licensing, strategic and business development transactions, and commercial transactions. He advises clients regarding clinical trial agreements; commercial agreements; strategic alliances, including alliances for co-discovery, co-development, and co-commercialization; intellectual property licenses, including licenses for compounds, processes, platforms, and software; industry collaborations, including manufacturing, formulation, and process collaborations; university collaborations, including clinical trial and other sponsored research agreements, and material transfer agreements; and distribution agreements.

Mike is one of a select group of attorneys to have participated in the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, which prepares scientists and engineers to extend their focus beyond the laboratory, and broadens the impact of particular, NSF-funded, basic-research projects.

A former in-house lawyer and business development and strategic alliances professional, Mike brings a practical perspective to clients’ legal issues with a keen understanding of the importance of agreements that facilitate rather than hinder business.

Affiliations

The Startup Coalition, Co-Founder and Executive Director

Life Sciences Venture Network, Founder and Executive Director

MassDiGI, Advisory Board Member

MIT Enterprise Forum Games and Entertainment Special Interest Group – Founder and former Chair

Speaking Engagements

Speaker, Trends and Developments IP Counsel, Business Lawyers and Litigators Must Know, 21st Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference 2018

Moderator, An Ounce of Prevention: How Startups Can Avoid Legal Snafus

Presenter, Game Publishing 2.0, BBA Event

Presenter, Software Licensing: Battle of the Forms

Presenter, The Law of Digital Games

Moderator, Creative Communities: Building Games outside the Hub, MassDiGI symposium

Presenter, Anatomy of a Game Development Deal, Franklin M. Loew Lecture Series – Becker College

Presenter, Entertainment Law Practice in the Digital Age: New Developments, BBA Event

Publications

Force Majeure in Light of the Coronavirus Outbreak

Open Source Issues in Mergers & Acquisitions

Developing an App? Make sure you own it!, Adobe Developer Connection

Patent Licensing Strategies After Medimmune, with Howard Zaharoff

Linden Lab’s ‘Second Life’ in a Catch-22 over virtual property, Boston Business Journal

Outside the office

An ardent cyclist, Mike is an eleven-year veteran of the Pan Mass Challenge, a two-day, 192 mile charity bicycle ride for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in connection with which he has raised over $55,000, and he recently completed the Mt. Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb, referred to by many as the toughest bicycle hillclimb in the world.

News & Events

News

• COVID-19 Resource Collection
  Coronavirus Updates
  July 21, 2022
• Force Majeure in Light of the Coronavirus Outbreak
  March 16, 2020
• Data Privacy Bell Ringers
  These Situations Should Ring a Bell and Prompt Discussion with Privacy Counsel
  January 8, 2018
• Client Alert – Happy Halloween!
  4 SCARY Facts about the New European Union General Data Protection Regulation
  October 31, 2017
• Client Alert – Happy Halloween!
  6 SCARY Privacy and Data Security Facts and Recent Developments
  October 31, 2016

Events

• 2019 VC and M&A Forum
  May 2, 2019
• Show Me the Money: Bio Bucks, Royalties and Other Payment Structures in Strategic Alliances
  April 3, 2019
• 2018 VC and M&A Forum
  March 29, 2018
• Encore Event! Strategic Alliances: Pot of Gold or Pretty Poison?
  June 28, 2017
• Strategic Alliances: Pot of Gold or Pretty Poison? – Life Sciences Series – Panel 4
  April 28, 2017

Representative Matters

Demiurge Studios Acquired by SEGA Networks