Peter W. Gowdey

Peter Gowdey is a Partner in Rimon’s Northern Virginia office. In practice since 1970, Peter focuses on patent prosecution, including design patents, and the drafting and prosecuting of provisional and utility patent applications in a number of fields of technology, including vending equipment, hydrogen production equipment and processes, CO₂ collection and capture, water-powered electric power generation systems, medical devices, molding equipment, mechanical devices including automotive transmissions, brakes, seating, control systems, and a wide variety of manufactured goods.  He also works on patent litigation in federal courts, appeal work at the Federal Circuit, appeals to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and trademark prosecution.

Pete has prior experience working at the USPTO and as in-house Patent Counsel for Burlington Industries in Greensboro North Carolina.  He has decades of domestic and international patent law experience in private practice, including at Cushman Darby & Cushman, Pillsbury Madison & Sutro, Shook Hardy & Bacon, and Davidson Berquist Jackson & Gowdey.

Pete has extensive experience in developing and providing counsel on patent related matters in the boardroom and in the courtroom.  Pete has worked with domestic and international clients on global intellectual property strategy, particularly concerning corporate and/or Board decision making as it relates to intellectual property matters, has conducted IP audits and the valuing of a company’s existing IP rights, provided counselling on the developing and obtaining IP portfolios, negotiating settlements, writing and prosecuting patent applications at the USPTO and in foreign patent offices, negotiating and writing patent licenses, and in enforcing patent rights and defending alleged infringers.

Notably, Pete argued before the Supreme Court in Holmes v. Vornado, a case dealing with the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), and has an appellate practice including numerous arguments at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as the 4th, 5th and 10th Circuits.

Over the years Pete has lectured on a variety of IP related topics, including litigation best practices, for a number of years, he was an adjunct professor of law at the George Mason School of Law, teaching patent litigation. He has an extensive network, in a collaborative manner, with many associates around the globe, with a particular focus on Japan, China, Singapore, Germany, Italy, the UK, and Australia. He has been a member of AIPPI, APAA (Asian Patent Attorneys Association), INTA and PatGot.

Memberships

• Bar Association of the District of Columbia
• American Bar Association
• American Intellectual Property Law Association
• International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property
• Washington Patent Attorney’s Association (Past President)