Finnegan’s Don Dunner Named "Icon of IP"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC—In its new series titled “Top 25 Icons of IP,” Law360 honors attorneys who have shaped the intellectual property landscape. Finnegan’s Donald R. Dunner was named to the list and recognized for his distinguished career and key role in the formation of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Before the term "intellectual property" had been coined, Mr. Dunner was introduced to patents as an undergraduate student at Purdue University. After graduation, he worked as an engineer but soon realized that was not the path he wanted to take. He decided to go to law school, where he would be able to combine law with his engineering background and become a patent lawyer.

Mr. Dunner is well-known for his role in helping to create the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The development of the Federal Circuit came about during a time when the patent system in the courts was in disarray, as district court patent cases were reviewed by their respective circuit courts of appeal, which had diametrically opposed views on patent law. As a consultant to the Hruska Commission, Mr. Dunner was asked to evaluate whether there should be a specialized court of patent appeals. Given the divided views of the patent bar, the Commission didn’t recommend such a court. But a few years later, during Mr. Dunner's service on a commission formed by President Carter, the same issue was considered. At the same time, a University of Virginia professor came up with the idea of combining the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals with the Court of Claims, and the Carter Commission supported the idea which Mr. Dunner thereafter testified before Congress on several occasions, enthusiastically supporting the idea of such a court, which led to the formation of the Federal Circuit in 1982.

Mr. Dunner's career has spanned seven decades and includes numerous notable wins, such as defending a $290 million judgment that software company i4i Limited Partnership had secured against Microsoft Corp, which at the time was the second largest award to be sustained on appeal in a patent case. He also secured a win for Mattel, in which the Federal Circuit reversed an $80 million judgment against it.

In addition to his work in the courtroom, Mr. Dunner has served as President of the American Patent Law Association (now AIPLA), Chair of the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law, member of the ABA House of Delegates and its Board of Governors, authored several textbooks, and taught for 45 years at George Washington University Law School and American University’s Washington College of Law.

The Law360 profile includes a quote from Finnegan partner Howard W. Levine, who said, “[Don] is extra passionate about his work. He loves patent law and he takes that love and fervor and he puts it into his work. He prepares more than any other person I’ve met in my life and studies the record and the documents in such a way so that he knows it more than anyone else in the case. It’s amazing.”

Contacts
James B. Monroe, Managing Partner 
james.monroe@finnegan.com

About Finnegan

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP is one of the largest IP law firms in the world. From offices in Atlanta, Boston, London, Palo Alto, Reston, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, and Washington, DC, the firm practices all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. Finnegan also represents clients on IP issues related to European patents, international trade, portfolio management, the Internet, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition. For additional information on the firm, please visit www.finnegan.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.