Luke Santangelo is the founder of the firm and a registered patent attorney.  He works with differing types of intellectual property protections both within the United States and in foreign countries.  His capabilities range from the initial creation of intellectual property protections, to prosecuting them before domestic and foreign governmental offices, to licensing client rights, to enforcing those rights.

As a physicist, Luke’s experience has included work across most technical areas including: electrical circuitry, biotechnology, genetic engineering, computer systems, thin film processes, software, encryption, mechanical devices, consumer goods, and a variety of other disciplines.  Representative works that clients have permitted to be listed include: "Enhanced Reactive DC Sputtering System" US 5718813, “Positionally Sequenced Loudspeaker System” WO 2007/103937 A2, and “Methods of Quantifying Gas Content of a Gas-Sorbed Formation Solid”, US 20060207761 A1.

Luke has prepared, protected, and registered traditional word marks, logos, slogans, trade dress protections, and product configuration protections. Luke also prepares and prosecutes copyright registrations for artwork, books, software, and websites.  He has developed licensing frameworks and has negotiated and drafted numerous agreements relating to intellectual property aspects.  He regularly counsels clients on developing strategies to protect their intellectual property. 

Luke and the firm team have been instrumental in enforcing intellectual property for clients.  He has participated as lead counsel, co-counsel, testifying expert, or as prime arbitrator in a variety of intellectual property litigation matters before state courts, federal courts, and arbitration panels in a variety of jurisdictions.  In 2007, he and his team successfully obtained a $15.2M jury verdict upholding the trademark PROFILE® in US federal court in the case of Cache La Poudre, LLC v. Land O’Lakes, Inc.

“I was an inventor before I was a patent attorney”, says Luke.  “The experiences of dealing with intellectual property caused me to create the firm in the first place.”  “We understand creative people and creative businesses.  Helping both entrepreneurs and established businesses to create value is what our entire team is all about, that’s why we call ourselves the Idea Asset Group.”  “It may sound altrustic, but helping to advance human progress in a cost efficient way is incredibly satisfying,” says Luke. “We all thrive on the opportunity to contribute to businesses and entrepreneurs –- and on adding significant value to help encourage creativity.” 

Prior to founding Santangelo Law Offices in 1991, Luke had been an aerospace physicist with Martin-Marietta (now Lockheed-Martin) and worked on space shuttle projects and on governmentally classified MX system projects. 

Together with his wife, Elizabeth, and his three daughters, Luke enjoys ice hockey, skiing and snowboarding, hiking and climbing, horseback riding, and the universe in general.

Practice Areas
Intellectual Property, Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Trade Secrets, Licensing, Transactions, Intellectual Property Litigation, Technology Law, Computer Law.

Education
Bachelor of Science, Phi Beta Kappa with honors in Physics, University of Denver 1979.
Masters of Business Administration, University of Denver 1983.
Juris Doctor, member Denver Law Journal, University of Denver 1983.

Publications
Co-Author with Dr. Darl D. Bien: "Some Judicial Uses of Statistical Methods in Title VII Discrimination Cases," Proceedings of the American Statistical Association and Biometric Society, June, 1982.

Admitted to Practice
All Colorado State Courts; United States Patent and Trademark Office; federal courts, United States District of Colorado; appellate courts, Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Memberships
Who's Who of American Law; Who's Who of Rising Young Americans; International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England; Oxford's Who's Who Registries. Larimer County Bar Association, Colorado Bar Association (Patent, Trademark and Copyright Section), American Intellectual Property Law Association.