Daniel E. Yonan is a director at Sterne Kessler and heads the firm’s U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Practice Group. Daniel has over 25 years of experience as a trial attorney focused exclusively on Section 337 investigations and ITC trials as well as district court intellectual property litigation.
Daniel is among the nation’s most widely-recognized attorneys who practice before the Commission. Clients turn to him for his creative insight and ability to resolve these specialized proceedings. Since Daniel founded the firm’s ITC practice, it has emerged as one of the most active players in the Section 337 space.
Daniel takes multiple investigations through trial each year and his unique skills are informed by his knowledge of the Administrative Procedure Act and his early career training with a former Director of the Office of Unfair Import Investigations. Daniel also has first-hand experience with rare Commission procedures such as those involving temporary exclusion, alternative designs, enforcement and modification of remedial orders, as well as violation matters before U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Court of International Trade. For example, as lead counsel for complainant in 337-TA-1067, Daniel secured a violation finding that later resulted in an eight-figure jury verdict for willful infringement—being the only investigation to have reached this outcome that spanned nearly a decade of parallel litigations before various federal courts and administrative agencies. Daniel currently serves as the Chair of AIPLA’s ITC Committee for the 2026-28 term.
In addition to his Section 337 experience, Daniel has an extensive district court practice representing clients in high-profile intellectual property disputes. Daniel regularly takes matters through jury and bench trials. His client base includes high-tech innovators in the semiconductor and electrical sectors, as well as some of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers.
Before attending law school at the University of Illinois, Daniel was a new-drug research chemist at Pfizer, Inc. (formerly G.D. Searle & Co.), where he focused on the development of novel anti-inflammatory drug candidates.
ITC
- 337-TA-1486: Certain Disposable and Other Closed-System Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) Devices and Components Thereof – RAI Services Company v. Ecto World, LLC d/b/a Demand Vape et al.*
- 337-TA-1472: Certain Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Devices, Products Containing the Same, and Components Thereof – Netlist, Inc.* v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al.
- 337-TA-1410: Certain Disposable Vaporizer Devices – RAI Strategic Holdings, Inc. v. SV3, LLC d/b/a Mi-One Brands et al.*
- 337-TA-1365: Photovoltaic Connectors and Components Thereof – Shoals Technologies Group, LLC* v. Hewtech Philippines Corp. et. al.
- 337-TA-1342: Semiconductor Devices Having Layered Dummy Fill, Electronic Devices, and Components Thereof – Bell Semiconductor v. MaxLinear, Inc.* et. al.
- 337-TA-1235: Certain Vehicle Control Systems, Vehicles Containing the Same, and Components Thereof – Jaguar Land Rover Limited v. Volkswagen AG* et. al.
- 337-TA-1141: Certain Cartridges for Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and Components Thereof – Juul Labs Inc.* v. Ziip Lab SA et. al.
- 337-TA-1139: Certain Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems and Components Thereof – Juul Labs Inc.* v. Eonsmoke LLC et. al.
- 337-TA-1088: Certain Road Construction Machines and Components Thereof – Caterpillar Inc. v. Wirtgen America, Inc. et al.*
- 337-TA-1067: Certain Road Milling Machines and Components Thereof – Wirtgen America, Inc.* v. Caterpillar Inc. et al.
* = represented party
- Lawdragon, “500 Leading Global IP Lawyers” (2025)
- Patexia, “The 100 Most Active Attorneys Representing Petitioners – PTAB” (2023)
- IAM Patent 1000, “National: Recommended – International Trade Commission; Washington, D.C.: Patent Litigation (Silver Band)” (2020 – 2025)
- Patexia, “Respondent Performance (Top 100) – 2023 ITC Intelligence Report” (2023)
- Patexia, “100 Most Active Attorneys Representing Petitioners – Inter Partes Review” (2022)
- Managing IP, “IP Star” (2017 – 2025)
- Super Lawyers, “Super Lawyer – Washington D.C.” (2020 – 2025)
- Managing IP Awards, “Nominee – Litigation Practitioner of the Year (DC Metro area)” (2021)
- IAM Patent 1000, “National: Recommended – International Trade Commission and Litigation; Washington, D.C.: Patent Litigation (Bronze Band)” (2016 – 2019)
- LMG Life Sciences, “Life Sciences Star” (2012 – 2018)
- J.D., University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
- B.S., Chemistry, University of Illinois
- District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- Virginia
- Illinois
- AIPLA, ITC Committee Chair (2026 – 2028)
- AIPLA, ITC Committee Vice Chair (2023 – 2025)
- District of Columbia Bar Association
- ITC Trial Lawyers Association
- Virginia Bar Association
- AIPLA, Biotechnology Committee co-chair (2015)
- Modern Aramaic
Speaking Engagement
2026 AIPLA Spring Meeting
San Francisco, CA,
Fairmont San Francisco,
May 13, 2026
Speaking Engagement
2024 Bench & Bar® Conference
Isle of Palms, South Carolina,
Wild Dunes Resort,
June 21, 2024
Speaking Engagement
IP Challenges in the Automotive Industry
Virtual,
September 1, 2020 11:35 AM - 12:35 PM EST
AIPLA 2015 Annual Meeting
October 22, 2015
China Intellectual Property & Innovation Summit 2015
April 16, 2015
USPTO Design Day 2012
April 10, 2012
AIPLA 2011 Annual Meeting
October 21, 2011