David L. Berdan as USPTO’s new General Counsel

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently appointed David L. Berdan as its new General Counsel and replaced Acting General Counsel whose name is Nicholas Matich. He took over the office of General Counsel on the departure of former General Counsel Sarah Harris on March 27, 2020.Mr. Berdan has already begun his new role at the USPTO from Monday, November 16.

The main duties which Mr. Berdan is serving as General Counsel are as follows:

• General Counsel acts as the principal legal advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO.
• General Counsel is the principal legal advisor to the USPTO Director.
• General Counsel also oversees its three component offices which are the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of General Law, and the Office of Enrolment and Discipline.

“America’s inventors, creators, and innovators will be well-served with David Berdan as General Counsel at the USPTO,” said Director Andrei Iancu. “With his leadership experience and knowledge of so many aspects of technology and the law, Mr. Berdan will help guide the USPTO as we endeavor to expand innovation and support a growing and dynamic U.S. economy.”

Mr. Berdan graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He earned a degree Bachelors in Science in engineering and also co-captained the Army football team as a defensive back. He is also a combat veteran of Operation Desert Storm. He also received numerous military awards, including a Bronze Star. Mr. Berdan also has a Juris Doctor from Drake University Law School. He was a founding member and President of the Drake Intellectual Property Law Society where he has done a commendable job in the field of IPR.

Apart from all of these, Mr. Berdan has served in a variety of important legal positions for almost the past 25 years. Such prominent legal positions include the following:

• As Patent Counsel at Corning, Inc.,
• As Vice President and Intellectual Property Counsel at The Coleman Company,
• As Chief Counsel Intellectual Property at INVISTA,
• As Vice President Legal and Deputy General Counsel at International Game Technology,
• As General Counsel and Compliance Officer of Gaming Arts. It is the most recent position acquired by him.

Mr. Berdan also spent almost two years as an engineer and seven years in private law practice. Undoubtedly, Mr. Berdan is a pack of talents and achievements. He well deserved this position and everyone is looking forward to his working strategies and outcomes. Everyone’s good wishes are with him.