Donald Dunner has worked in all phases of patent law, including prosecution, licensing, litigation, validity and infringement studies, and counseling. He has vast technical experience in the areas of chemical engineering, chemistry, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.
Mr. Dunner has litigated numerous cases in the federal district courts and is best known for appellate practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and its predecessor court, the U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. He has had significant success overturning jury and other verdicts handed down by lower district courts, and earned the reputation of being one of the finest litigators in the country. The New York Times reported that he has argued more Federal Circuit cases than any other litigator in the United States.
Mr. Dunner served as chairman of the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for the first ten years of the Court's existence and participated in the drafting of the Court's rules (1982-1992). He continuously served as chair or co-chair of the Planning Committee for the judicial conferences of the Court of Appeals and CCPA (1974-1992).
Highlights
- Most notable cases involved the complete reversal of $80 million jury verdict for Mattel’s Hot WheelsTM toys and the successful argument of the largest ($290 million) patent verdict sustained on appeal in i4i v. Microsoft.
- Former examiner with the USPTO.
- Served as a law clerk to the Honorable Noble J. Johnson, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals.
- Professorial lecturer at the George Washington University School of Law, teaching a course on Federal Circuit practice.
Professional Activities
- American Academy of Appellate Lawyers (2004-present)
- ABA House of Delegates (2002-present)
- American College of Trial Lawyers (1995-present)
- American Bar Association (chair, Section on Intellectual Property Law, 1995-1996)
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (president, 1979-1980)
- District of Columbia Bar (chair, Steering Committee, Division 14, 1976-1977)
- Bar Association of the District of Columbia (chair, Section on Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law, 1964-1965; Board of Directors, 1965-1966)
- National Council of Patent Law Associations (secretary, 1963-1966)
Select Publications
- Coauthor. "2009 Patent Law Decisions of the Federal Circuit," American University Law Review, April 30, 2010.
- Coauthor. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit: Practice and Procedure, Matthew Bender, 1976-present.
- Coauthor. Patent Law Perspectives, Matthew Bender, 1982-1988.