Thomas Sydnor is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for the Study of Digital Property at The Progress & Freedom Foundation. Prior to joining the foundation, Sydnor served as a copyright advisor in the Office of International Relations at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Before his work with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Sydnor served as Counsel for Intellectual Property and Technology for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. During his time with the Committee, Sydnor helped to secure Senate passage of various pieces of legislation in the 108th Congress, including the Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation (PIRATE) Act, the Copyright Royalty and Distribution Reform Act, and the Intellectual Property Protection and Courts Amendments Act. He also helped to negotiate proposed legislation on diversion of patent fees from the USPTO. Prior to his work with the U.S. Senate, Sydnor worked in private practice at two major law firms, specializing in intellectual property law. Sydnor is a graduate of Duke Law School.