J. Derek Vandenburgh

J. Derek Vandenburgh is a highly experienced patent litigation attorney and a founding partner at Carlson Caspers, a leading intellectual property and litigation law firm based in Minneapolis, MN, established in 2003. His practice encompasses high-stakes patent and intellectual property cases across various federal courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). While his specific technology focus is broad, his background in physics suggests a strong foundation for diverse technical areas in patent disputes.

Vandenburgh is recognized for his work as a first-chair trial lawyer with a track record of winning patent verdicts and is noted as one of the most active Federal Circuit advocates in the nation. His experience extends to representing clients on both the plaintiff and defendant sides of litigation. The firm's involvement in Inter Partes Reviews (IPR) indicates his work defending patent holders and challenging patents on behalf of petitioners. He has served as lead counsel in numerous IPRs and other contested proceedings before the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board, with Carlson Caspers ranking among the "Top 25 Best Performing" and "Top 50 Most Active" law firms representing petitioners in the 2024 Patexia PTAB Intelligence Report.

He has been recognized among the Top 10 Federal Circuit Attorneys in the 2024 Patexia CAFC Intelligence Report. His representative cases include matters such as 3M Company v. Moldex, Exmark Mfg. Co. v. Briggs & Stratton Power Products Group, Regents of the University of Minnesota v. AGA Medical Corporation, and R+L Carriers v Qualcomm, among others.

Vandenburgh earned his B.S. in Physics from Iowa State University in 1985 and his J.D. with highest honors from George Washington University in 1989. He is admitted to practice before the Illinois and Minnesota Supreme Courts, various U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Earlier in his career, he clerked for the Honorable Giles S. Rich of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.