Patent and appellate litigator David Pekarek Krohn has represented clients in patent infringement suits in some of the most active patent courts in the country, including the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). Dave has used his technical experience in electrical engineering and computer science to litigate patents related to smartphones, cloud computing, streaming media, email technology, video game systems, light-emitting diodes, and logic circuits. Dave has also represented pharmaceutical companies in Hatch-Waxman litigation.
In addition to district court patent litigation, Dave also represents clients in inter partes reviews before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). With experience handling Federal Circuit appeals from district court patent litigation, Dave has also represented clients in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Prior to his legal career, Dave worked as an engineer and manager in the software industry during the technology boom of the 1990s and early 2000s, where he developed award-winning educational and entertainment multimedia applications. His work included supervising the engineering of a computer version of a well-known television game show and launching the first networked version of a popular trivia game franchise. He offers an informed perspective when analyzing software prior art from that era, which is an issue that often arises for his clients.
Dave’s pro bono work includes two successful cases to free men wrongfully convicted of murder. In 2014, Dave argued the case of Teshome Campbell before the Seventh Circuit. Dave won the appeal and a later evidentiary hearing, and Mr. Campbell was released from prison after 18 years of incarceration. Dave also worked on the case of Eric Blackmon at the federal appellate and district court levels. Mr. Blackmon’s conviction was overturned in February 2018, after 16 years of incarceration.
Professional Recognition
- Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for Appellate Practice; Litigation – Patent, 2024
Related Employment
- Latham & Watkins LLP, Chicago, IL, Associate, 2010 – 2011; Summer Associate, 2009
- Emmi Solutions, LLC, Chicago, IL, Director of Production, 2003 – 2007
- Encyclopedia Britannica, Chicago, IL, Senior Software Engineer, 2001 – 2003
- Jellyvision, Inc., Chicago, IL, Creative Designer/Director; Software Development Manager; Software Engineer; 1998 – 2001
Clerkships
- Hon. William Bryson, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2011 - 2012