David C. Swenson

David C. Swenson was a distinguished patent litigation attorney known for his extensive experience across a wide array of technologies and his significant appellate advocacy. His practice encompassed diverse areas including networked computer scanning systems, as evidenced by his work on behalf of MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, and later expanded to microchips, routers, Internet browsers, electronic trading platforms, and various mechanical and biotechnology innovations.

In his early career, Mr. Swenson primarily represented plaintiffs, notably serving as counsel for MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, a patent assertion entity, in litigation related to scan-to-email patents. He appeared in cases such as MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC v. Lexmark International, Inc., MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC v. J.C. Penney Company, Inc., and MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC v. GBCblue. He was also involved in appeals to the Federal Circuit concerning Vermont v. MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, and the firm faced a Federal Trade Commission settlement regarding deceptive patent assertion practices.

Mr. Swenson's firm history included Farney Daniels, where he was listed as Of Counsel and Counsel in the MPHJ matters, and later Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP and Larkin Hoffman. He joined Patterson Thuente IP in September 2020 as the Litigation Practice Chair, where he continued to represent a broad range of clients, from large corporations to startups and individual inventors.

Throughout his career, Mr. Swenson secured notable litigation outcomes, including multiple results exceeding $100 million for his clients and a general exclusion order in an International Trade Commission trial. His appellate successes included convincing the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate PTAB inter partes review (IPR) decisions in Gramm v. Deere & Co. He regularly handled patent appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, securing victories in cases such as Extreme Networks, Inc. v. Enterasys Networks, Inc. (2010), Imation Corp. v. Koninklijke Philips Elec. N.V., et al. (2009), and General Mills, Inc. v. Kraft Foods Global, Inc. (2007). Mr. Swenson was also active in Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings, showcasing significant experience with inter partes reviews.

Mr. Swenson held a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and a B.A. in Computer Science from Boston College. He also served as a judicial clerk for Judges Giles Rich and Pauline Newman at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. David C. Swenson passed away in June 2021.