Tracy-Gene G. Durkin is the practice leader of Sterne Kessler’s Mechanical & Design Practice Group and a member of the Trademark & Brand Protection Practice. Tracy has a well-earned reputation for excellence in design patent law. Financial Times named her as one of the “Top Ten Legal Innovators in North America,” noting her as “a leading authority on design patents.” She is also recognized as a leading lawyer by IAM Patent 1000, who declared her a “design doyenne” and World Trademark Review 1000, which highlighted her ability to “[think] outside of the box to devise one-of-a-kind strategies that focus on delivering business-driven outcomes.”
With more than thirty-five years of experience obtaining and enforcing intellectual property rights, Tracy is sought out by leading consumer product companies, and by colleagues around the world for her deep understanding of design patents and their intersection with trademarks, and copyrights. She crafts and delivers unique IP protection strategies, designed to meet individual client’s needs. Her expertise includes helping clear new products and trademarks for use in the marketplace, selecting appropriate IP protection, and enforcing such protection through mediation, litigation, and licensing. Tracy has also served as an expert witness in patent disputes in District Court litigation and before the International Trade Commission on the issues of design patents and USPTO practice and procedures.
Tracy recently completed her three-year term as a member, including one-year as vice chair, of the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC). She is chair of the Designs Committee for the International Trademark Association (INTA), and past chair of the Industrial Designs Committee of the IP Section of the American Bar Association and the Industrial Designs Committee of AIPLA. She is also past vice chair of the Industrial Designs Committee of IPO. Additionally, Tracy co-hosts the biennial Design Law Conference, which aims to foster debate on cutting-edge design-related topics.
