Mr. Dudas joined Foley as former Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In this role, Mr. Dudas advised the president of the United States, the secretary of commerce, and the administration about intellectual property matters and administered the laws of granting patents and trademarks and led the $2 billion agency and its more than 9,000 employees. As head of the world's leading intellectual property (IP) office, Mr. Dudas also developed and articulated administration positions on patent, copyright, and trademark issues, both domestic and foreign.

As the nation's top IP official, Mr. Dudas personally spearheaded an unprecedented number of patent cooperation and development missions with Brazil, China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico and several other countries to improve IP systems globally and help innovators establish and enforce IP rights throughout the world.

Mr. Dudas was nominated by President George W. Bush in March 2004 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in July 2004. He previously served as acting under secretary and director, and deputy under secretary and deputy director from 2002 to 2004.

Mr. Dudas also served six years as counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property, and staff director and deputy general counsel for the House Judiciary Committee. He guided enactment of major patent, trademark, and copyright policy, including the 1999 American Inventors Protection Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. In addition, he was instrumental in the passage of the 1996 Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Consumer Protection Act, a law making it more difficult for seized counterfeit merchandise to re-enter the consumer marketplace.

Before his employment with the House of Representatives, Mr. Dudas practiced law in Chicago, focusing his practice on litigation with an emphasis on copyright and trademark issues.

Mr. Dudas obtained his Bachelor of Science in finance, summa cum laude, from the University of Illinois and his law degree from the University of Chicago, with honors. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar and the Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Mr. Dudas is admitted in Illinois only. His practice is limited to matters before federal courts and agencies.

Publications:

• Co-Author, "What if the Most Famous Apple in the World Were a Fruit?," Thomas Reuters Client Times Online (July 2009)
• Co-Author, "New Roads To Patent Allowance," IP Law 360 (June 2009)
• Co-Author, "Inside Views: Administrative Patent Validity Determinations If The Proposed US Patent Reform Act of 2009 Passes," Intellectual Property Watch (March 2009)

Presentations:

• "Fast Tract to Action – A Look at the Patent Prosecution Highway," Presentation to George Washington University, Washington, D.C., August 2009
• "USPTO: Recent Trends and Organizational Structure," Washington, D.C., July 2009
• "Fast Track to Action – A Look at the Patent Prosecution Highway," San Diego, California, July 2009
• "Fudan University Seminar about Patent Practice in the U.S. and China," Shanghai, China; June 2009
• "International Collaboration: Cutting Edge Intellectual Property Issues," Shanghai, China; June 2009
• "High Level Forum on Chinese and U.S. Patent Protection Practices," Shenzen, China, June 2009
• "Cutting Edge Intellectual Property Issues between the U.S. and China," Beijing, China; June 2009
• "US Patent Reform and What It Meant to Chinese Companies, From Made in China to Invented in China," Beijing, China, June 2009
• "Fast Track to Action – A Look at the Patent Prosecution Highway," Palo Alto, California, May 2009
• "Priority Issues For the New USPTO Leadership in 2009 and Beyond," Washington, D.C., May 2009
• "IP Outlook in the Reform Era," Webinar, Washington, D.C., May 2009
• "Practical Options Organizations Have For Challenging Patents Once they are Granted," Washington, D.C.; May 2009
• "Significant Developments Trademark Counsel Need to be Aware of When Promoting and Protecting Brands Over the Internet," Washington, D.C., May 2009
• "The Three Most Important Aspects of the Patent Reform Bills that Will Affect Corporate Counsel," Washington, D.C., May 2009
• "What is the Prospect for the Current Patent Reform Bill Going Forward?," Washington, D.C., May 2009
• "Protecting Patents in the Reform Era," Tokyo, Japan, April 2009
• "Global Intellectual Property Issues, Council on Foreign Relations," Washington, D.C., April 2009
• "IP5: Kahala, Jeju and Beyond: Building Bridges on the Patent Prosecution Highway," AIPPI; Tokyo, Japan, April 2009
• "Challenges Facing the Intellectual Property System in the US and Throughout the World, Licensing Executive Society," Washington, DC, March 2009
• "IP5: Global Patent Cooperation: Pacific Rim Patent Leadership," Hong Kong, March 2009