Mr. Dudas joined Foley as former Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In this role, Mr. Dudas advised the president of the United States, the secretary of commerce, and the administration about intellectual property matters and administered the laws of granting patents and trademarks and led the $2 billion agency and its more than 9,000 employees. As head of the world's leading intellectual property (IP) office, Mr. Dudas also developed and articulated administration positions on patent, copyright, and trademark issues, both domestic and foreign.

As the nation's top IP official, Mr. Dudas personally spearheaded an unprecedented number of patent cooperation and development missions with Brazil, China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico and several other countries to improve IP systems globally and help innovators establish and enforce IP rights throughout the world.

Mr. Dudas was nominated by President George W. Bush in March 2004 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in July 2004. He previously served as acting under secretary and director, and deputy under secretary and deputy director from 2002 to 2004.

Mr. Dudas also served six years as counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property, and staff director and deputy general counsel for the House Judiciary Committee. He guided enactment of major patent, trademark, and copyright policy, including the 1999 American Inventors Protection Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. In addition, he was instrumental in the passage of the 1996 Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Consumer Protection Act, a law making it more difficult for seized counterfeit merchandise to re-enter the consumer marketplace.

Before his employment with the House of Representatives, Mr. Dudas practiced law in Chicago, focusing his practice on litigation with an emphasis on copyright and trademark issues.

Mr. Dudas obtained his Bachelor of Science in finance, summa cum laude, from the University of Illinois and his law degree from the University of Chicago, with honors. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar and the Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Mr. Dudas is admitted in Illinois only. His practice is limited to matters before federal courts and agencies.