Dan Altman

California

Knobbe Martens
2040 Main Street
14th Floor
Irvine, CA 92614

Tel: 949-760-0404

Email: dan.altman@knobbe.com
Web: www.knobbe.com

Professional Biography

Daniel E. Altman focuses on patent protection and related licensing issues for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. A particular specialty of Dan’s relates to foreign patent protection for these industries.

Dan regularly attends the BIO International Convention and has also been recognized as a “Life Science Star” by Legal Media Group (LMG). He has spoken extensively in the field of patent law both in the United States and abroad. Dan has also lectured for AIPPI-Japan (Tokyo), AIPPI World Congress (Boston), AIPLA, KTK (Osaka), and AUS-BIO (Brisbane).

Prior to joining the firm, Dan was a teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District, where he taught physical science to seventh and eighth grade students. Dan joined the firm in 1989 and became a partner in 1993.

Education

University of California – Berkeley – School of Law (J.D., 1989)
University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) (M.A. Biology and Molecular Biology, 1984)
University of Illinois – Urbana – Champaign (B.S. Biology, 1980)

Bar Admissions

State Bar of California
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Awards & Honors

Dan has received multiple awards and has been honored in both national and international forums for his legal accomplishments:

Received “Star” distinction in the Legal Media Group’s (LMG) “Life Sciences Survey” for Intellectual Property from 2014 to 2017. In 2018, 2022, and 2023-2025, he was once again selected as a “Life Science Star” for his work in the areas of Patent Prosecution and Advisory, and Patent Strategy & Management.
Named to IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists (2021-2025) which “identifies the individuals who are leading the way in the development and implementation of strategies that maximize the value of IP portfolios”
Recognized in Lexology’s Who’s Who Legal Thought Leaders USA 2025-2026 guide
Recognized in Lexology Index: IP 2025-2026 guide for outstanding Patent work
Recognized for outstanding work in patent law in the Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) “Patent 1000 Guide” for Prosecution (2024-2025)
Recognized for high achievement in Patent Prosecution in Patexia’s “2024 Patexia Patent Prosecution Intelligence Report“ (2024)
Named amongst Top 100 for Most Active Attorneys in Biotech in Patexia’s Patent Intelligence 2023 Report
Named in 2020-2023 as one of the “World’s Leading Patent Professionals” for Prosecution in the Patent 1000 guide by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine. The 2021 guide named Altman “the first choice for international protection, particularly in Japan, China and other Asian markets.” In 2022, he was noted as “a master at overseeing global patent protection for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.” In 2023, he was described as someone who “knows exactly what it takes to see a patent through to successful grant and makes the entire prosecution process a smooth experience.”
Named in Who’s Who Legal’s 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2023 editions of the international “Who’s Who Legal: Patents” list
Recognized in Corporate LiveWire’s 2016 “Global Fund Awards” as the “Most Outstanding in Due Diligence Law”
Recognized by Law Business Research in the 2015 “Who’s Who Legal 100”
Named to Legal Media Group’s (LMG) 2015 “Guide to the World’s Leading Patent Law Experts”

Affiliations

Orange County Patent Law Association
American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
Biotechnology Industrial Organization
International Bar Association
Licensing Executive Society

Articles & Publications

Quoted in, “What US Lawyers Should Know as the EU Unified Patent Court Looms” an article published by Bloomberg. (December 2022)
Co-author, When and Where to File Patent Applications,” which was published in Maple Business Council Newsletter (December 2021)
Co-author, “Controlling the Speed of Patent Examination in the US,” which was published in Maple Business Council Newsletter (February 2021)
Quoted in, “SCOTUS’ denial of certiorari in Idenix v Gilead poses especially difficult IP questions for universities and small biotechs” an article published by IAM-Media. (February 2021)
Co-author, “Intellectual Property Protection Strategies for Successful Business in the US and Canada,” Knobbe Martens Publication (March 2020)
Altman, D., Sweeney, C., and Yasui, T. (2014) Preparing effective experimental data for pharmaceutical patent applications from US and Japanese perspectives. Pharmaceutical Patent Analyst, 3(5), 469 – 473. doi:10.4155/ppa.14.38

“Dan is a highly regarded patent attorney in the life sciences space, known for advising biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients on protecting innovation through carefully structured and commercially focused patent strategies.”

The Patent Lawyers, 2025