David Sanker is not only an experienced patent attorney and former partner at Morgan Lewis, but also a mathematician and software engineer. David earned his PhD in Mathematics from UC Berkeley in 1989 and returned to Berkeley 15 years later for a degree in law, after three years in academia and twelve years in production software development. At Morgan Lewis from 2005–2024, David practiced patent litigation and patent prosecution in a wide variety of technology areas, including software, AI, cybersecurity, semiconductor devices, database architecture, data visualization, medical devices, artificial reality, virtual reality, and identify verification. As a patent practitioner, David works with clients, inventors, the US Patent Office, and associates throughout the world to build strong international IP protection. David is a thought leader in AI, regularly speaking and writing about AI topics including the use of generative AI and how AI influences intellectual property protection.

Education

  • University of California, Berkeley, 1989, Ph.D., Mathematics
  • University of California, Berkeley School of Law, 2007, J.D.
  • University of Oregon, 1983, B.S., Mathematics

Admissions

  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
  • California
  • U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Federal Circuits

Publications

  • FAQ for Startup IP Strategy (Download)
  • United States chapter of Artificial Intelligence, Law Over Borders Comparative Guide 2024 – the Global Legal Post (Download)
  • Patent Laws and Regulations Practical Guidelines for Assessing Patent Quality 2025 – ICLG - Patent Laws and Regulations (Download | Link)
  • “Practical guidelines for the use of generative AI,” in AI, Machine Learning, and Big Data 2024 – Global Legal Insights (Download)
  • Artificial Intelligence, United States Chapter – the Global Legal Post (Download)
  • Australia is actually not ready for AI inventors – Daily Journal (Download)
  • USPTO cannot handle ‘artificial inventors.’ Now what? – Daily Journal (Download)
  • Can the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office handle “artificial inventors’? – Daily Journal (Download)