David . Gerk
David R. Gerk is an attorney in the Office of Policy and External Affairs (OPEA) at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) where he advises the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on domestic and international IP issues as well as on United States treaty obligations and helps to formulate U.S. domestic and international policy regarding protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. In his role at the OPEA, he also helps promote development of intellectual property systems nationally and internationally, consults with foreign governments and other U.S. Government agencies on substantive intellectual property rights laws and legal and judicial regimes, and provides and participates in technical assistance and capacity-building programs and conferences with foreign governments seeking to develop or improve their intellectual property laws and regulations.
Prior to joining the USPTO, David was a shareholder in Banner & Witcoff's Washington, D.C., office where he practiced intellectual property law with a focus on counseling, prosecution, and litigation of utility and design patent matters, principally in the mechanical, electrical, and computer arts. He also prosecuted and counseled in copyright, trademark, and trade dress matters. He is experienced representing client interests, including large corporations, small and medium-size businesses, and individual inventors in technologies ranging from manufacturing processes and consumer products to Internet and cellular communications to biomedical devices and nutraceuticals and various other technologies.
David is a co-founder of the Patent Law Option at The George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), where he serves as a part-time professor. He regularly publishes and lectures on a wide array of intellectual property issues. David also served in committee leadership for both the ABA and AIPLA, regularly meeting with attorneys, organizations, business leaders, and the USPTO and international IP officials regarding intellectual property legislation, legal decisions, and U.S. and foreign IP practice and procedures. He received an Honors B.S. in mechanical engineering from Marquette University and a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.
May 2012
Prior to joining the USPTO, David was a shareholder in Banner & Witcoff's Washington, D.C., office where he practiced intellectual property law with a focus on counseling, prosecution, and litigation of utility and design patent matters, principally in the mechanical, electrical, and computer arts. He also prosecuted and counseled in copyright, trademark, and trade dress matters. He is experienced representing client interests, including large corporations, small and medium-size businesses, and individual inventors in technologies ranging from manufacturing processes and consumer products to Internet and cellular communications to biomedical devices and nutraceuticals and various other technologies.
David is a co-founder of the Patent Law Option at The George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), where he serves as a part-time professor. He regularly publishes and lectures on a wide array of intellectual property issues. David also served in committee leadership for both the ABA and AIPLA, regularly meeting with attorneys, organizations, business leaders, and the USPTO and international IP officials regarding intellectual property legislation, legal decisions, and U.S. and foreign IP practice and procedures. He received an Honors B.S. in mechanical engineering from Marquette University and a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School.
May 2012
