Alan G. Towner

ALAN G. TOWNER, is Chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group and Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group.

Mr. Towner has practiced in all phases of intellectual property law including patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. He handles such matters as preparing and prosecuting patent, trademark and copyright applications, patentability opinions, patent infringement and validity studies, trademark clearance opinions, patent reexamination proceedings, Internet domain name disputes, patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret litigation, and general intellectual property counseling.

He began his career as a Patent Examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, specializing in mechanical areas of technology. He also has experience as a research associate in the aerospace industry, where he handled diverse technologies including metal alloys, composites and ceramics. In private practice since 1992, he has dealt with a broad range of technologies in the chemical, material, medical, mechanical, data storage and e-commerce areas.

Mr. Towner is a founding member of the Western District of Pennsylvania Intellectual Property Inn of Court and Local Patent Rules Committee. He was elected president of the Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association for the 2009-2010 term and is also a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association; The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society; and the American Society of Materials. Mr. Towner was also selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2017 edition of Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Litigation-Intellectual Property, Litigation-Patent, Patent Law, Trademark Law, and Copyright Law.

While at University of Baltimore School of Law, he was a member of the university's Intellectual Property Moot Court Team.