DLA Piper is pleased to welcome Dan Valencia as a partner in the Patent Litigation subgroup of DLA Piper’s Intellectual Property & Technology practice.

Based in Washington, DC, Dan focuses on patent and other intellectual property disputes in the International Trade Commission (ITC). He has lead counsel experience in the ITC and in district court, where he advises clients on enforcement of patents, trademarks, and trade secrets as well as unfair competition claims. Dan also advises clients on procurement and transactions of high-value intellectual property in connection with enforcement issues.

Prior to private practice, Dan was an Investigative Attorney in the Office of Unfair Import Investigations (OUII) and an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) at the ITC. During his tenure at OUII, he led government efforts to investigate alleged violations of Section 337 before administrative law judges, including serving as lead counsel in evidentiary and claim construction hearings. During his time at OGC, Dan worked directly with the Commissioners to decide cases involving difficult institutional issues, and he defended the ITC’s decisions on appeal to the Federal Circuit.

His recent experience includes leading the defense of Lenovo against infringement claims against the majority of its product lines in an ITC action; leading the defense of Chinese manufacturers of swabs for COVID-19 testing in ITC proceedings, representing a leading agricultural equipment manufacturer in an offensive patent litigation culminating in a jury trial in the District of Delaware, and leading an offensive trade secret misappropriation matter on behalf of a Fortune 500 equipment manufacturer in the ITC.

“Dan’s extensive experience in ITC litigation, including his years of service at the ITC itself, will be an incredible boost to our Tier 1-ranked ITC practice. We are thrilled to add Dan and his market-focused practice to our world-class patent litigation team,” said Sean Cunningham, global co-chair and US chair of the Patent Litigation and IPT practices.

“Dan is a highly sought-after ITC attorney whose insight will be an immediate asset to clients looking for guidance in one of the world’s most important patent jurisdictions,” said Erin Gibson, chair of the ITC practice.