Nathaniel C. Love

NATHANIEL LOVE is a trial and appellate lawyer who helps companies across a broad range of industries resolve challenging problems presented by patent, trade secret, and other commercial litigation in district courts and on appeal.

Nat tackles complex economic issues, with expertise on those presented in both preliminary injunction proceedings and by patent and trade secret damages claims at trial. He also has extensive experience in patent and breach of contract cases involving patents declared essential to technology standards, and has litigated multiple injunctions in such cases on appeal. Nat’s trial experience includes preparing and examining witnesses at jury and bench trials and serving as second-chair trial counsel on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. Nat has also managed multiple preliminary injunction proceedings from both sides of such disputes, and is proficient in the unique strategic issues that they pose both at the district court level and on appeal. A former Federal appellate clerk, Nat leads the drafting of appellate briefs in his matters arising in the district courts and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and has argued multiple cases in the courts of appeal, including the Second, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Federal Circuits.

Nat holds a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University, with a focus on artificial intelligence, and his prior work experience as an operating system developer further allows him to provide his clients with a comprehensive technical perspective and background. In addition to his work for clients in the software and mobile device industries, Nat works with companies in the insurance, financial, healthcare, and aviation industries on matters concerning their information technology, as well as with companies in the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries in cases involving biologics, spinal intervention, drug-eluting stents, catheters, and surgical guides.

Nat was named to The Best Lawyers in America® for Litigation – Intellectual Property (2026), and has consistently been recognized by IAM Patent 1000, most recently in its 2025 edition (2023–2025). Nat serves as the Chicago chair of Sidley’s Pro Bono Committee.

Prior to joining the firm, Nat served as a law clerk for Judge Richard Posner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Nat graduated with High Honors from the University of Chicago Law School.

• Lead counsel for a healthcare IT company in breach of contract and trade secret misappropriation litigation involving software processing of financial and benefits data (Western District of Missouri, Eighth Circuit).
• Briefed and argued copyright damages appeal for data analytics company concerning misuse of business rules software (Eighth Circuit).
• As part of a trial team, conducted multiple witness examinations in a five-day preliminary injunction hearing on behalf of a biologics manufacturer in a matter concerning its patents on antibodies and bioengineering processes (District of New Jersey).
• On behalf of Peddinghaus Corporation, argued and won appeal successfully defending district court’s invalidation of patent asserted against a steel manufacturing process (Federal Circuit).
• On behalf of Gogo Business Aviation, defeated preliminary injunction seeking to block launch of Gogo’s next-generation network technology, and argued and won appeal successfully defending the district court’s ruling (District of Delaware, Federal Circuit).
• Represented Medline Industries in multiple patent and unfair competition district court suits, reexamination and inter partes review proceedings, and appeals concerning catheter technology (Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Georgia, District of New Jersey, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Federal Circuit).
• On behalf of Magna Mirrors of America, second-chaired bench trial and obtained judgment defeating defendant’s inequitable conduct defense (Western District of Michigan).
• Representing Allstate Insurance Company in multiple patent and trade secret proceedings concerning telematics technology used to monitor driver behavior (Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office).
• On behalf of Riot Games, briefed and won appeal (resolved without argument) affirming a Patent Office decision finding all challenged claims of two group messaging patents invalid (Federal Circuit).

• Richard Linn American Inn of Court (2017 – present)

• Argued as amicus in support of a habeas corpus petitioner; resulting decision allowed the petitioner’s previously-dismissed appeal to proceed (Ninth Circuit, en banc).
• Briefed and argued successful habeas corpus appeal resulting in vacatur of two 1981 state court convictions (Seventh Circuit).
• As part of the merits briefing team, won an unanimous ruling in the U.S. Supreme Court entitling a class of combat-disabled veterans to payment of Combat-Related Special Compensation.