Charles R. Macedo is an attorney, physicist and award-winning IP strategist who architects comprehensive intellectual property solutions for the world’s most innovative companies. Fluent in the technical languages of inventors and the business goals of management, Charley specializes in translating complex technologies into high-value legal assets and enforceable rights. His practice is currently focused on the cutting edge of computer-implemented innovation, where he directs strategies for clients navigating the legal frontiers of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Large Language Models (LLMs), Chatbots, and Blockchain technology, including cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and smart contracts.
More than just a litigator, Charley is a thought leader who actively shapes the trajectory of U.S. intellectual property law. He has orchestrated offensive and defensive strategies across every major forum, from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and District Courts to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. His influence is evident in his leadership on amicus briefs in seminal cases—such as Alice, Mayo, Cuozzo, and Arthrex—where his advocacy has helped define the standards of patent eligibility and administrative law.
A prolific scholar, Charley literally wrote the book on navigating the patent system: The Corporate Insider’s Guide to U.S. Patent Practice (originally published in 2009 by Oxford University Press). His deep engagement with the law is further reflected in his extensive library of peer-reviewed articles published in the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice and other prestigious journals, which can be viewed on his Google Scholar profile.
Clients rely on Charley not only to track legal developments but to help make them happen, leveraging his unique combination of technical fluency, appellate experience, and strategic vision to protect their most critical assets.
Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer (2025)
Fellow, American Bar Foundation (2021 – present)
IAM Strategy 300 (2018, 2024-2025) and IAM 1000 (2024, 2025)
Recipient, Volunteer of the Year, 2023, New York Intellectual Property Law Association
Intellectual Property Litigation, Intellectual Property, Super Lawyer (Thomson Reuters) (2011 – present)
IP Stars, Managing IP, Euromoney (2013 – present)
Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Member
Robert Watson Award (AIPLA) (1990)
Recipient, Clyde Cowan Award (Physics) (1986)
American Intellectual Property Law Association, Member
American Intellectual Property Law Association Quarterly Journal Editorial Board, Member (2007-2010)
American Bar Association, Member, Intellectual Property Law Section
Association of University Technology Managers, Member (2013 – present) and Software Planning Committee Member (2013-2014; 2018-Present)
Federal Circuit Bar Association, Member, and Vice Chairman (2013) and Co-Chair (2014), Friedman Memorial Committee
New York State Bar Association, Member, Intellectual Property Law Section
New York Intellectual Property Law Association, Co-Chair, PTAB Committee (2018-present), Member of Board (2017), Co-Chair, Amicus Brief Committee (2013-2016)
Editorial Board, Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice (Oxford University Press) (2010-2025)
Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit, 2013;
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2011;
U.S. Supreme Court, 2008;
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 2001;
U.S. District Court Western District of New York, 1998;
U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 1992;
U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1991;
District of Columbia, 1991;
U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit, 1990;
New York, 1990
Columbia Law School, New York, New York, 1989. J.D.
Honors: Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, Columbia Business Law Review, Managing Editor, 1988 – 1989.;
The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., 1986, B.S./M.S. Physics.
Honors: Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma
Friedman, Wang & Bleiberg, P.C., Associate, 1991-1996
Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Associate, 1990-1991;
Hon. Daniel M. Friedman, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Law Clerk, 1989-1990
