USPTO Appoints New General Counsel

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has appointed David L. Berdan as its new General Counsel, replacing Acting General Counsel, Nicholas Matich, who took over for former General Counsel Sarah Harris after her departure from the Office on March 27, 2020.

Berdan most recently served as General Counsel and Compliance Officer of Gaming Arts. He has a Juris Doctor from Drake University Law School, where he was a founding member and President of the Drake Intellectual Property Law Society, and has also worked as Patent Counsel at Corning, Inc.; as Vice President and Intellectual Property Counsel at The Coleman Company; as Chief Counsel Intellectual Property at INVISTA; and as Vice President Legal and Deputy General Counsel at International Game Technology.

The USPTO General Counsel is the principal legal advisor to the USPTO Director and also oversees the Office of General Counsel and its three component offices: the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of General Law, and the Office of Enrollment 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 in a USPTO press release. “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.”

Berdan’s first day with the Office will be Monday, November 16.