Biography: Patents

R Danny Huntington began his career as a chemist at the Gillette Research Institute. Shortly after joining the institute, he became the patent liaison to outside patent counsel and later to in-house attorneys at the parent company, The Gillette Company. Finding the interface between technology and patent law fascinating, after earning his law degree he joined the patent staff of The Gillette Company, where he continued to represent the institute.

After entering private practice in Boston, he wrote and prosecuted some of the earliest-filed biotechnology patent applications. He was also involved in district court litigation and patent interferences, the latter primarily in the field of pharmaceuticals.

In 1981 he moved to the Washington, DC, area and continued a varied practice until the US Patent and Trademark Office started declaring patent interferences involving biotechnology. Mr Huntington was one of the few attorneys knowledgeable in both interferences and biotechnology, and soon found himself spending most of his time in interferences involving biotechnology. His expertise in biotechnology interferences led to him being asked to handle interferences involving other technologies. He has now handled well over 200 interferences and frequently lectures on interference practice. In addition to traditional uses of interferences, Mr Huntington has been promoting the consideration of interferences as an alternative vehicle for defending against non-practising entities, sometimes referred to as patent trolls.

His practice continues to include all phases of IP law, including US and foreign patent prosecution, litigation in the federal courts, licensing and general client counselling. Having practised both in-house and in private practice, he can provide advice that takes into account the various issues confronting IP holders.