Hon. Deanna Tanner Okun

Deanna Tanner Okun is the managing partner at AMS TRADE LLP. She is an international trade attorney providing legal and strategic international trade policy advice to steer companies through the intersection where innovation confronts barriers, such as intellectual property theft, unfair trade practices, and regulatory hurdles. Her practice involves all aspects of unfair trade litigation and trade remedy advocacy. Her Section 337 work includes all stages of litigation at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) from pre-institution consultation to post-remedy enforcement with Customs and Border Protection. She also represents companies in Title VII antidumping and countervailing duty investigations before the ITC and the Department of Commerce. In 2017, her client secured the first negative preliminary AD/CVD determination in over seven years and her work in trade remedy proceedings on behalf of U.S. companies extends to previously rarely used trade statutes, including Section 201, 232, and 301 investigations. She works closely with contacts in the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of the government to create innovative solutions to her clients’ legal and business challenges.

During her tenure as an ITC Commissioner, Deanna was nominated to be Deputy United States Trade Representative. In 2012, she was named Outstanding Woman of the Year by the Association of Women in International Trade (WIIT). She has served on the Federal Circuit Advisory Council since 2013. In 2019, for the seventh consecutive year, Managing Intellectual Property named Deanna one of the Top 250 Women in IP. She is also on the 2021-2022 USMCA Binational Panel Roster.

U.S. Patenting Abroad — A Quiet Trade Advantage

By Chris Borges   Although patents are territorial, meaning they are limited to the jurisdiction in which they are granted, the networks spanning innovation and commerce are global. U.S. inventors routinely seek patent protection in markets abroad to safeguard their innovations, facilitate exports, and access new customers. By requiring member states
Read More

The U.S. IP Trade Surplus

By Chris Borges As debates over trade balances intensify, policymakers should remember where the United States already excels: the creation, sale, and licensing of intellectual property (IP). IP rights such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks convert ideas into protected and transferable economic assets, promoting innovation and economic growth.
Read More

The New SEP Powerhouse: How China is Shaping Global Patent Disputes

By Kirti Gupta and Mark Cohen As 5G cellular standards continue to connect billions of smartphones, automobiles, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the licensing of standard essential patents (SEPs) on Fair, Reasonable and Non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms has emerged as a key interest of businesses and policymakers worldwide. SEPs represent tens of billions of
Read More