Darnell M. Cage
Counsel
Suite 600
St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Darnell advises clients on the development, protection, commercialization, and management of intellectual property assets in complex technology environments. His practice includes patent counseling and procurement, artificial intelligence and software systems, medical devices, industrial and electrification technologies, intellectual property risk management, and technology transactions. He helps clients align intellectual property strategy with innovation, product development, commercialization,...
Darnell advises clients on the development, protection, commercialization, and management of intellectual property assets in complex technology environments. His practice includes patent counseling and procurement, artificial intelligence and software systems, medical devices, industrial and electrification technologies, intellectual property risk management, and technology transactions. He helps clients align intellectual property strategy with innovation, product development, commercialization, and broader business objectives.
Patent Counseling and Procurement
Darnell advises clients on the development and management of global patent portfolios aligned with business and product strategy. His work spans complex electromechanical, software-enabled, and industrial technologies.
He works with engineering, research, and business teams on invention review, continuation and divisional strategy, and patent family development for core platform technologies and evolving product architectures. His experience includes coordinating U.S., foreign, and international patent prosecution and aligning claim strategy across jurisdictions while accounting for local practice, examination trends, and cost considerations.
He also advises on portfolio governance and lifecycle management, including filing cadence, budget planning, continuation strategy, jurisdictional expansion, and maintenance or pruning decisions based on product relevance, competitive positioning, and commercialization objectives.
Artificial Intelligence, Software, and Data Systems
Darnell advises clients on patent strategy and portfolio development for artificial intelligence, machine learning, and enterprise software technologies. His work includes natural language processing systems, conversation analytics platforms, machine learning training and inference workflows, and large-scale data processing architectures.
He works with technical teams to translate complex software and AI systems into defensible patent claims while accounting for subject matter eligibility and related legal considerations. His experience includes claim development for distributed systems, API-driven platforms, telemetry pipelines, analytics frameworks, and hardware-software integrated systems.
He also advises on competitive positioning and portfolio strategy in rapidly evolving AI markets, including white-space analysis and alignment of patent protection with product functionality and long-term platform development.
Medical Devices and Regulated Technologies
Darnell advises medical device and healthcare technology companies on patent strategy, clearance, and portfolio development for technologies such as catheter-based systems, electrophysiology platforms, structural heart devices, and energy delivery systems.
He aligns patent strategy with regulated product development timelines, including invention capture, claim drafting, and portfolio expansion tied to clinical, regulatory, and commercialization milestones. His experience includes supporting patent strategy for technologies through regulatory clearance and product launch, including systems involving minimally invasive delivery and integrated device architectures.
He also conducts freedom-to-operate and related risk analyses for medical device clients, evaluates competitor patents, and advises on design-around strategies to support product development and reduce infringement risk.
Industrial, Electrification, and Advanced Systems
Darnell advises on patent strategy and portfolio development for industrial, electrification, and electromechanical systems. His work includes electric motor systems and winding methods, electrified powertrains, drivetrain and eAxle systems, battery and energy storage platforms, vehicle-to-grid architectures, and embedded control systems.
He has also supported patent strategy for power generation, emissions and aftertreatment technologies, turbo and fuel systems, and integrated control architectures across hybrid and next-generation vehicle platforms. His work includes software-enabled control systems and data-driven operational platforms used in industrial environments.
He works with cross-functional engineering teams to identify patentable innovations, structure portfolios around core technologies, and align filing strategy with product development and commercialization goals. His experience includes continuation strategy, jurisdictional filing strategy, and lifecycle management across multiple product lines and engineering disciplines.
Intellectual Property Risk Management and Pre-Litigation Strategy
Darnell advises clients on intellectual property risk, including freedom-to-operate analysis, claim scope assessment, and competitive patent positioning. He develops risk-based clearance strategies tailored to product significance, market exposure, and business objectives.
His experience includes infringement-risk assessment, design-around strategy, enforcement exposure analysis, and pre-litigation positioning. He works with clients to identify and address intellectual property risk before it matures into a dispute and also supports litigation teams through prior art analysis and claim interpretation.
IP Transactions and Commercial Agreements
Darnell works with corporate and commercial counsel on agreements involving intellectual property and technology commercialization. His experience includes research and development agreements, joint development agreements, master services agreements, prototype development and bailment agreements, confidentiality agreements, licensing agreements, and supplier and vendor agreements.
He advises on intellectual property ownership, background and foreground rights, technical data rights, and open-source considerations so that contractual frameworks align with patent strategy. He also supports intellectual property diligence in mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments, including patent portfolio review, chain-of-title analysis, and risk assessment.
and broader business objectives.
Patent Counseling and Procurement
Darnell advises clients on the development and management of global patent portfolios aligned with business and product strategy. His work spans complex electromechanical, software-enabled, and industrial technologies.
He works with engineering, research, and business teams on invention review, continuation and divisional strategy, and patent family development for core platform technologies and evolving product architectures. His experience includes coordinating U.S., foreign, and international patent prosecution and aligning claim strategy across jurisdictions while accounting for local practice, examination trends, and cost considerations.
He also advises on portfolio governance and lifecycle management, including filing cadence, budget planning, continuation strategy, jurisdictional expansion, and maintenance or pruning decisions based on product relevance, competitive positioning, and commercialization objectives.
Artificial Intelligence, Software, and Data Systems
Darnell advises clients on patent strategy and portfolio development for artificial intelligence, machine learning, and enterprise software technologies. His work includes natural language processing systems, conversation analytics platforms, machine learning training and inference workflows, and large-scale data processing architectures.
He works with technical teams to translate complex software and AI systems into defensible patent claims while accounting for subject matter eligibility and related legal considerations. His experience includes claim development for distributed systems, API-driven platforms, telemetry pipelines, analytics frameworks, and hardware-software integrated systems.
He also advises on competitive positioning and portfolio strategy in rapidly evolving AI markets, including white-space analysis and alignment of patent protection with product functionality and long-term platform development.
Medical Devices and Regulated Technologies
Darnell advises medical device and healthcare technology companies on patent strategy, clearance, and portfolio development for technologies such as catheter-based systems, electrophysiology platforms, structural heart devices, and energy delivery systems.
He aligns patent strategy with regulated product development timelines, including invention capture, claim drafting, and portfolio expansion tied to clinical, regulatory, and commercialization milestones. His experience includes supporting patent strategy for technologies through regulatory clearance and product launch, including systems involving minimally invasive delivery and integrated device architectures.
He also conducts freedom-to-operate and related risk analyses for medical device clients, evaluates competitor patents, and advises on design-around strategies to support product development and reduce infringement risk.
Industrial, Electrification, and Advanced Systems
Darnell advises on patent strategy and portfolio development for industrial, electrification, and electromechanical systems. His work includes electric motor systems and winding methods, electrified powertrains, drivetrain and eAxle systems, battery and energy storage platforms, vehicle-to-grid architectures, and embedded control systems.
He has also supported patent strategy for power generation, emissions and aftertreatment technologies, turbo and fuel systems, and integrated control architectures across hybrid and next-generation vehicle platforms. His work includes software-enabled control systems and data-driven operational platforms used in industrial environments.
He works with cross-functional engineering teams to identify patentable innovations, structure portfolios around core technologies, and align filing strategy with product development and commercialization goals. His experience includes continuation strategy, jurisdictional filing strategy, and lifecycle management across multiple product lines and engineering disciplines.
Intellectual Property Risk Management and Pre-Litigation Strategy
Darnell advises clients on intellectual property risk, including freedom-to-operate analysis, claim scope assessment, and competitive patent positioning. He develops risk-based clearance strategies tailored to product significance, market exposure, and business objectives.
His experience includes infringement-risk assessment, design-around strategy, enforcement exposure analysis, and pre-litigation positioning. He works with clients to identify and address intellectual property risk before it matures into a dispute and also supports litigation teams through prior art analysis and claim interpretation.
IP Transactions and Commercial Agreements
Darnell works with corporate and commercial counsel on agreements involving intellectual property and technology commercialization. His experience includes research and development agreements, joint development agreements, master services agreements, prototype development and bailment agreements, confidentiality agreements, licensing agreements, and supplier and vendor agreements.
He advises on intellectual property ownership, background and foreground rights, technical data rights, and open-source considerations so that contractual frameworks align with patent strategy. He also supports intellectual property diligence in mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments, including patent portfolio review, chain-of-title analysis, and risk assessment.
Experience
Previous Professional Experience
- Senior Associate, Global law firm (2020-2026)
- Intellectual Property Associate, Minneapolis-based law firm (2017-2020)
- Boeing, Senior Paralegal (2016-2017); Structural Analyst Engineer, Defense Equipment Installation (2013-2016)
Representative Matters
- Advise a Fortune 150 industrial technology company on global patent portfolio strategy across U.S., foreign, and international jurisdictions, including invention governance, continuation strategy, and portfolio budget forecasting across multiple business units.
- Counsel business, engineering, and intellectual property leadership on freedom-to-operate and product clearance strategy for electrification, powertrain, and software-enabled systems, including development of risk-tiered clearance frameworks aligned with commercialization objectives.
- Advise on patent strategy and portfolio development for artificial intelligence and enterprise software platforms, including machine learning-based analytics systems, natural language processing technologies, and data-driven architectures.
- Advise clients on patent protection for complex industrial and electromechanical technologies, including electric motor systems, embedded controls, electrification platforms, and advanced drivetrain architectures.
- Supported intellectual property diligence in connection with an $850 million medical device acquisition, including patent portfolio assessment and transaction-related risk analysis.
- Conducted intellectual property diligence for a proposed acquisition of a structural heart medical device company, including patent landscape analysis, assignment and chain-of-title review, confidentiality analysis, and evaluation of third-party technology exposure.
- Advise medical device clients on patent strategy and clearance for catheter-based systems, structural heart technologies, electrophysiology-adjacent systems, and energy delivery platforms, aligning patent protection with regulatory and product development timelines.
- Provided patent prosecution and strategic counseling in support of FDA-cleared medical device technology, including portfolio development aligned with commercialization strategy for diabetes care systems.
- Manage global patent prosecution strategy in coordination with foreign associates, including claim scope alignment and jurisdiction-specific positioning across numerous jurisdictions, including U.S., Europe, China, Japan, India, and Australia.
- Collaborate with commercial and corporate counsel on intellectual property provisions in research and development agreements, joint development agreements, master services agreements, bailment agreements, nondisclosure agreements, licensing arrangements, and supplier and vendor agreements.
- Support patent litigation and pre-litigation strategy through prior art analysis, claim interpretation, invalidity development, and risk mitigation counseling for mechanical, software, and medical device technologies.
- Conduct competitive patent landscape analyses and portfolio mapping to identify white-space opportunities and inform patent filing strategy across industrial, healthcare, and software sectors.
Education
-
Saint Louis University School of Law,
JD
(2017)
- Concentrations in Intellectual Property, Business Transactional Law, and Entrepreneurship Law
- 1st Place – International Patent Drafting Competition
- Entrepreneurship & Community Development IP Clinic (USPTO Clinic Certification Program for Trademarks)
- Primary Cite Check Assistant Award, Public Law Review
- Academic Excellence (CALI) Awards in Contracts, Administrative Law, and Patent Drafting
- Dean’s Scholar and Endowed Scholarships
- Sidney B. Williams, Jr. Scholar
- Faculty Fellow
-
University of Missouri,
BS,
Mechanical Engineering,
magna cum laude
(2013)
- Honors Scholar in Engineering with University and Departmental Honors
- Minors in Aerospace Engineering, Math, and Leadership & Public Service
- McNair Scholars Program
- Undergraduate Honors Research in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with publication of an undergraduate honors thesis in the field of cryopreservation funded by NASA Missouri Space Grant Consortium
Admissions
- Minnesota
- U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
- U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Practice Areas
Previous Professional Experience
- Senior Associate, Global law firm (2020-2026)
- Intellectual Property Associate, Minneapolis-based law firm (2017-2020)
- Boeing, Senior Paralegal (2016-2017); Structural Analyst Engineer, Defense Equipment Installation (2013-2016)
Representative Matters
- Advise a Fortune 150 industrial technology company on global patent portfolio strategy across U.S., foreign, and international jurisdictions, including invention governance, continuation strategy, and portfolio budget forecasting across multiple business units.
- Counsel business, engineering, and intellectual property leadership on freedom-to-operate and product clearance strategy for electrification, powertrain, and software-enabled systems, including development of risk-tiered clearance frameworks aligned with commercialization objectives.
- Advise on patent strategy and portfolio development for artificial intelligence and enterprise software platforms, including machine learning-based analytics systems, natural language processing technologies, and data-driven architectures.
- Advise clients on patent protection for complex industrial and electromechanical technologies, including electric motor systems, embedded controls, electrification platforms, and advanced drivetrain architectures.
- Supported intellectual property diligence in connection with an $850 million medical device acquisition, including patent portfolio assessment and transaction-related risk analysis.
- Conducted intellectual property diligence for a proposed acquisition of a structural heart medical device company, including patent landscape analysis, assignment and chain-of-title review, confidentiality analysis, and evaluation of third-party technology exposure.
- Advise medical device clients on patent strategy and clearance for catheter-based systems, structural heart technologies, electrophysiology-adjacent systems, and energy delivery platforms, aligning patent protection with regulatory and product development timelines.
- Provided patent prosecution and strategic counseling in support of FDA-cleared medical device technology, including portfolio development aligned with commercialization strategy for diabetes care systems.
- Manage global patent prosecution strategy in coordination with foreign associates, including claim scope alignment and jurisdiction-specific positioning across numerous jurisdictions, including U.S., Europe, China, Japan, India, and Australia.
- Collaborate with commercial and corporate counsel on intellectual property provisions in research and development agreements, joint development agreements, master services agreements, bailment agreements, nondisclosure agreements, licensing arrangements, and supplier and vendor agreements.
- Support patent litigation and pre-litigation strategy through prior art analysis, claim interpretation, invalidity development, and risk mitigation counseling for mechanical, software, and medical device technologies.
- Conduct competitive patent landscape analyses and portfolio mapping to identify white-space opportunities and inform patent filing strategy across industrial, healthcare, and software sectors.
Media
Recognitions
- Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Intellectual Property (2024–2026)
- Excellence in Professional Preparation Mission Award, University of St. Thomas School of Law, as part of the IP Moot Court Coaches team (2025)
- Honoree, Minnesota Lawyer “2022 Diversity and Inclusion Awards”
Professional Activities
- Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers
- Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association
- Minnesota Disability Bar Association
- National Bar Association
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Hon. Jimmie V. Reyna Intellectual Property American Inn of Court
Community
- Board Member and Treasurer, Connections to Independence (2017–Present)
- Board Chair, University of St. Thomas IP and Data Privacy Committee (2024–Present; Member 2023–Present); Board Chair (2024–Present)
- Executive Committee Member, Wanton Injustice Legal Detail (WILD) (2020–Present)
- Board Member, Twin Cities Diversity in Practice (2026–Present; Member, 2017- Present; Emerging Leaders Group Co-Chair, 2018–2020)
Leadership
- Co-Chair, Associates Committee (2025–2026; Member, 2024–2026)
- Coach/Adjunct Professor, University of St. Thomas School of Law — USPTO National Patent Application Drafting Competition (2020–Present)
- Pupilage Leader, Hon. Jimmie V. Reyna Intellectual Property American Inn of Court (2022–2024)
Darnell advises clients on the development, protection, commercialization, and management of intellectual property assets in complex technology environments. His practice includes patent counseling and procurement, artificial intelligence and software systems, medical devices, industrial and electrification technologies, intellectual property risk management, and technology transactions. He helps clients align intellectual property strategy with innovation, product development, commercialization,... and broader business objectives.
Patent Counseling and Procurement
Darnell advises clients on the development and management of global patent portfolios aligned with business and product strategy. His work spans complex electromechanical, software-enabled, and industrial technologies.
He works with engineering, research, and business teams on invention review, continuation and divisional strategy, and patent family development for core platform technologies and evolving product architectures. His experience includes coordinating U.S., foreign, and international patent prosecution and aligning claim strategy across jurisdictions while accounting for local practice, examination trends, and cost considerations.
He also advises on portfolio governance and lifecycle management, including filing cadence, budget planning, continuation strategy, jurisdictional expansion, and maintenance or pruning decisions based on product relevance, competitive positioning, and commercialization objectives.
Artificial Intelligence, Software, and Data Systems
Darnell advises clients on patent strategy and portfolio development for artificial intelligence, machine learning, and enterprise software technologies. His work includes natural language processing systems, conversation analytics platforms, machine learning training and inference workflows, and large-scale data processing architectures.
He works with technical teams to translate complex software and AI systems into defensible patent claims while accounting for subject matter eligibility and related legal considerations. His experience includes claim development for distributed systems, API-driven platforms, telemetry pipelines, analytics frameworks, and hardware-software integrated systems.
He also advises on competitive positioning and portfolio strategy in rapidly evolving AI markets, including white-space analysis and alignment of patent protection with product functionality and long-term platform development.
Medical Devices and Regulated Technologies
Darnell advises medical device and healthcare technology companies on patent strategy, clearance, and portfolio development for technologies such as catheter-based systems, electrophysiology platforms, structural heart devices, and energy delivery systems.
He aligns patent strategy with regulated product development timelines, including invention capture, claim drafting, and portfolio expansion tied to clinical, regulatory, and commercialization milestones. His experience includes supporting patent strategy for technologies through regulatory clearance and product launch, including systems involving minimally invasive delivery and integrated device architectures.
He also conducts freedom-to-operate and related risk analyses for medical device clients, evaluates competitor patents, and advises on design-around strategies to support product development and reduce infringement risk.
Industrial, Electrification, and Advanced Systems
Darnell advises on patent strategy and portfolio development for industrial, electrification, and electromechanical systems. His work includes electric motor systems and winding methods, electrified powertrains, drivetrain and eAxle systems, battery and energy storage platforms, vehicle-to-grid architectures, and embedded control systems.
He has also supported patent strategy for power generation, emissions and aftertreatment technologies, turbo and fuel systems, and integrated control architectures across hybrid and next-generation vehicle platforms. His work includes software-enabled control systems and data-driven operational platforms used in industrial environments.
He works with cross-functional engineering teams to identify patentable innovations, structure portfolios around core technologies, and align filing strategy with product development and commercialization goals. His experience includes continuation strategy, jurisdictional filing strategy, and lifecycle management across multiple product lines and engineering disciplines.
Intellectual Property Risk Management and Pre-Litigation Strategy
Darnell advises clients on intellectual property risk, including freedom-to-operate analysis, claim scope assessment, and competitive patent positioning. He develops risk-based clearance strategies tailored to product significance, market exposure, and business objectives.
His experience includes infringement-risk assessment, design-around strategy, enforcement exposure analysis, and pre-litigation positioning. He works with clients to identify and address intellectual property risk before it matures into a dispute and also supports litigation teams through prior art analysis and claim interpretation.
IP Transactions and Commercial Agreements
Darnell works with corporate and commercial counsel on agreements involving intellectual property and technology commercialization. His experience includes research and development agreements, joint development agreements, master services agreements, prototype development and bailment agreements, confidentiality agreements, licensing agreements, and supplier and vendor agreements.
He advises on intellectual property ownership, background and foreground rights, technical data rights, and open-source considerations so that contractual frameworks align with patent strategy. He also supports intellectual property diligence in mergers, acquisitions, and strategic investments, including patent portfolio review, chain-of-title analysis, and risk assessment.
Experience
The following is a selected sampling of matters and is provided for informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future matter.Previous Professional Experience
- Senior Associate, Global law firm (2020-2026)
- Intellectual Property Associate, Minneapolis-based law firm (2017-2020)
- Boeing, Senior Paralegal (2016-2017); Structural Analyst Engineer, Defense Equipment Installation (2013-2016)
Representative Matters
- Advise a Fortune 150 industrial technology company on global patent portfolio strategy across U.S., foreign, and international jurisdictions, including invention governance, continuation strategy, and portfolio budget forecasting across multiple business units.
- Counsel business, engineering, and intellectual property leadership on freedom-to-operate and product clearance strategy for electrification, powertrain, and software-enabled systems, including development of risk-tiered clearance frameworks aligned with commercialization objectives.
- Advise on patent strategy and portfolio development for artificial intelligence and enterprise software platforms, including machine learning-based analytics systems, natural language processing technologies, and data-driven architectures.
- Advise clients on patent protection for complex industrial and electromechanical technologies, including electric motor systems, embedded controls, electrification platforms, and advanced drivetrain architectures.
- Supported intellectual property diligence in connection with an $850 million medical device acquisition, including patent portfolio assessment and transaction-related risk analysis.
- Conducted intellectual property diligence for a proposed acquisition of a structural heart medical device company, including patent landscape analysis, assignment and chain-of-title review, confidentiality analysis, and evaluation of third-party technology exposure.
- Advise medical device clients on patent strategy and clearance for catheter-based systems, structural heart technologies, electrophysiology-adjacent systems, and energy delivery platforms, aligning patent protection with regulatory and product development timelines.
- Provided patent prosecution and strategic counseling in support of FDA-cleared medical device technology, including portfolio development aligned with commercialization strategy for diabetes care systems.
- Manage global patent prosecution strategy in coordination with foreign associates, including claim scope alignment and jurisdiction-specific positioning across numerous jurisdictions, including U.S., Europe, China, Japan, India, and Australia.
- Collaborate with commercial and corporate counsel on intellectual property provisions in research and development agreements, joint development agreements, master services agreements, bailment agreements, nondisclosure agreements, licensing arrangements, and supplier and vendor agreements.
- Support patent litigation and pre-litigation strategy through prior art analysis, claim interpretation, invalidity development, and risk mitigation counseling for mechanical, software, and medical device technologies.
- Conduct competitive patent landscape analyses and portfolio mapping to identify white-space opportunities and inform patent filing strategy across industrial, healthcare, and software sectors.
Education
-
Saint Louis University School of Law,
JD
(2017)
- Concentrations in Intellectual Property, Business Transactional Law, and Entrepreneurship Law
- 1st Place – International Patent Drafting Competition
- Entrepreneurship & Community Development IP Clinic (USPTO Clinic Certification Program for Trademarks)
- Primary Cite Check Assistant Award, Public Law Review
- Academic Excellence (CALI) Awards in Contracts, Administrative Law, and Patent Drafting
- Dean’s Scholar and Endowed Scholarships
- Sidney B. Williams, Jr. Scholar
- Faculty Fellow
-
University of Missouri,
BS,
Mechanical Engineering,
magna cum laude
(2013)
- Honors Scholar in Engineering with University and Departmental Honors
- Minors in Aerospace Engineering, Math, and Leadership & Public Service
- McNair Scholars Program
- Undergraduate Honors Research in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with publication of an undergraduate honors thesis in the field of cryopreservation funded by NASA Missouri Space Grant Consortium
Admissions
- Minnesota
- U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
- U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Practice Areas
- Intellectual Property
- Patent Counseling and Procurement
- Intellectual Property Transactions
- Emerging Companies
- Cloud Computing, Licensing, & Transactions
Industries
- Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Intellectual Property (2024–2026)
- Excellence in Professional Preparation Mission Award, University of St. Thomas School of Law, as part of the IP Moot Court Coaches team (2025)
- Honoree, Minnesota Lawyer “2022 Diversity and Inclusion Awards”
- Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers
- Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association
- Minnesota Disability Bar Association
- National Bar Association
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Hon. Jimmie V. Reyna Intellectual Property American Inn of Court
- Board Member and Treasurer, Connections to Independence (2017–Present)
- Board Chair, University of St. Thomas IP and Data Privacy Committee (2024–Present; Member 2023–Present); Board Chair (2024–Present)
- Executive Committee Member, Wanton Injustice Legal Detail (WILD) (2020–Present)
- Board Member, Twin Cities Diversity in Practice (2026–Present; Member, 2017- Present; Emerging Leaders Group Co-Chair, 2018–2020)
- Co-Chair, Associates Committee (2025–2026; Member, 2024–2026)
- Coach/Adjunct Professor, University of St. Thomas School of Law — USPTO National Patent Application Drafting Competition (2020–Present)
- Pupilage Leader, Hon. Jimmie V. Reyna Intellectual Property American Inn of Court (2022–2024)
