David P. Swenson

David P. Swenson was a distinguished intellectual property litigator and appellate advocate, known for his extensive experience across a broad spectrum of patent matters. He passed away on June 28, 2021, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Throughout his career, Mr. Swenson's practice encompassed patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, with a particular emphasis on patent litigation and appeals. His technical background in computer science informed his work on diverse technologies, including microchips, routers, internet browsers, electronic trading platforms, aircraft anti-collision systems, and various mechanical and biotechnology innovations. He represented a wide range of clients, from large corporations in industries such as agriculture, biotechnology, computers, and electronics, to technology startups and individual inventors, serving both plaintiff and defendant sides in his litigation practice.

Before joining Patterson Thuente IP as Litigation Practice Chair in September 2020, Mr. Swenson was a partner at several notable law firms, including Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP. He was recognized for achieving significant outcomes, including securing more than $100 million for clients on three occasions and winning a general exclusion order in an International Trade Commission trial related to design patents. His notable successes include convincing the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate PTAB inter partes review (IPR) decisions in Gramm v. Deere & Co. (2019) and prevailing on validity before the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) on remand. He also obtained quick dismissals of patent infringement complaints against Caterpillar in Brookins v. Caterpillar Inc. (D.N.D. 2019) and successfully defended Bioenergy Life Science in ecoNugenics v. Bioenergy Life Science, Inc., leading to dismissals and an award of attorneys' fees.

Mr. Swenson possessed extensive experience before the PTAB and regularly handled appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, where he had several victories, including Extreme Networks, Inc. v. Enterasys Networks, Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2010). He earned his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, an M.A. in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota, and a B.A. in Computer Science from Boston College. He notably clerked for Federal Circuit Judges Giles Rich and Pauline Newman.