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Daniel L. Girdwood

E-mail Martindale-Hubbell Profile vCardDaniel L. Girdwood

Dan Girdwood is an “of-counsel” patent attorney of the firm. He brings a balanced approach to patenting, based on his years of experience, education, and certifications in engineering, accounting, and business. Dan has over 20 years of experience as a patent attorney. His practice includes the procurement, licensing and enforcement of patents primarily for mechanical inventions and registration and enforcement of trademarks. Dan also has vast financial knowledge, including acquiring an MBA in finance, passing the CPA exam, passing the Series 7 financial licensure exam, and functioning as one of the firm’s treasurers. Prior to joining the firm in 1990, he was an engineer at General Motors. Dan has taught as an adjunct professor at Thomas Cooley Law School, Lansing Community College and Grand Valley State University.

Dan focuses on start-up companies, partnerships and early innovation. Dan loves the entrepreneurial inventor, and is active in several non-profit inventor organizations designed specifically to help entrepreneurial inventors, including the Grand Rapids Inventors Network (GRIN™), of which Dan is a founding board member and the current president, the Muskegon Inventors Network (MIN), and Inventors & Entrepreneurs Network at West Shore Community College (WIN), of which he is a founding member. Dan also helped start and currently supports other inventor networks and clubs, such as the Jackson Inventors Network. Dan dedicates himself to educating others about entrepreneurial inventorship, conducting talks for college students at Cooley Law School, Grand Valley State University, Ferris University, Grand Rapids Community College, as well as other schools.

Dan encourages “profitable innovation” with a mix of fun, reality, and passion, as can be seen by the one-liners famous at GRIN™ meetings, such as: “GRIN™ … It brings a SMILE to your face!” “Nice prototype… Did you make sure someone wants to BUY IT?” “It’s called MARKET‑ing for a reason.” “How many secrets do you want to die with? DO SOMETHING – TAKE SOME (reasonable) RISK.” For Dan, it is about building a team, figuring out a business strategy, a plan to “get ’er done”, and selling product. Dan encourages clients to take some risk, move forward, but do so in a way that minimizes expense and only costs when it is logical and justified.

Practice Areas

  • ­Patents
  • Trademarks
  • ­Intellectual Property Licensing Agreements
  • ­Trade Secrets and Noncompete Covenants
  • ­Copyrights

Education

  • Thomas Cooley Law School, J.D., 1989
  • ­Michigan State University, M.S., Business, 1985
  • ­General Motors Institute (now Kettering University), B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1977

Bar Admissions

  • State Bar of Michigan, 1990
  • ­United States Patent and Trademark Office, 1990

Recommendations

“I have worked closely with Dan Girdwood over the past 8 years as a Tier 1 automotive client. Dan has continued to provide outstanding service and has offered invaluable insight to the patent process. With a technical background, Dan is able to translate some very complex mechanical assemblies into appropriate claim language. His work and due diligence has helped us to establish defendable intellectual property rights in the technology areas we choose to develop.” David Mitteer, Principal Engineer of GHSP, a JSJ Corporation business

“You were instrumental in getting us going, and I can’t believe how good our group is doing. We are getting AA speakers, still getting an average of 5 to 10 new people per month, and we still have 30 to 50 attendees. We are drawing from a 70 mile radius and now getting attention from the MMTDC and some venture capitalists. The list goes on but I truly believe this would not have happened without your help.” John D. Hopkins, CEO/Medical Research Director, HEALTH CARE CONCEPTS, Co-founder and President of Jackson Inventors Network

“We were very fortunate to have met Dan Girdwood when searching for a patent attorney to guide us in applying for and successfully securing patents on our technology. Dan was knowledgeable enough to understand the complex engineering associated with our technology, and had the vision to apply it to a patent application in such a way that it landed us two incredible patents. We still need to test his golf game but his skill, as a patent attorney, is unquestionable. Thank you, Dan, for your professionalism throughout this process and for your continuing support.” Frank Van Kempen and Scott Sovereign of Grass Roots Energy LLC, which is a company specializing in the technology for producing ethanol as an alternative biofuel.

Representative Patent Matters

  • ­8056495 (Pontoon bimini extender and rail clamping mechanism)
  • ­8020765 (Method of printing, distributing and placing price information)
  • ­8016331 (Energy absorber with sidewall stabilizer ribs)
  • ­8015093 (Randomized trading apparatus and method)
  • ­7980572 (Mobility device for amputee and leg-injured persons)
  • ­7972825 (Integrated apparatus for ethanol production and extraction)
  • ­D639631 (Handle) 
  • ­7926410 (Hydraulic circuit for synchronized horizontal extension of cylinders)
  • ­7882718 (Roll-former apparatus with rapid-adjust sweep box)
  • ­7874967 (Adjustable-weight exercise apparatus and method)
  • ­7814810 (Shifter with actuator incorporating shape memory alloy)
  • ­7810602 (Variable energy management system for pedestrian, occupant, vehicle)
  • ­7703423 (Vehicle and propulsion system including an internal combustion engine)
  • ­7686399 (Seating with shape-changing back support frame)

Memberships & Associations

  • State Bar of Michigan, former council member for the Intellectual Property Law Section
  • ­American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • ­Michigan Patent Law Association
  • ­Federal Circuit Bar Association
  • ­American Bar Association
  • ­Grand Rapids Bar Association
  • ­Grand Rapids Inventors Network (GRIN™), Co-founder, 2009 and President, 2012
  • ­Muskegon Inventors Network (MIN), Board Member 2007-Present

Publications/Presentations

Awards/Certifications

  • “I Care” award, Newaygo County Regional Educational Service Agency, April 18, 2010
  • ­Selected for Business Review West Michigan’s 2010 Thought Leaders in Law, January 2010
  • ­Grand Valley State University, CE, Academy of Small Business Consultants, October 2008

 

Julia B. Stein

Julia is Dan’s assistant and has been with the Price Heneveld team since April 14, 2008.