David Gooder is stepping up from Mr. Jack to Mr. PTO.

For 20 years, Gooder was charged with protecting the Jack Daniels brand as chief trademark counsel at Brown-Forman Corp. "My work for Mr. Jack put me at the global forefront of trademark creation, acquisition, exploitation, and protection," Gooder states on his LinkedIn bio.

On Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross tapped Gooder to succeed Mary Denison as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's commissioner for trademarks. Starting in March he'll be responsible for oversight of all aspects of the USPTO's trademarks organization.

"I am delighted to have David Gooder join the leadership team at the USPTO," PTO Director Andrei Iancu said in a written statement. "The U.S. trademark system is the global standard for excellence. I know that David is going to do a great job maintaining and indeed raising that standard."

For the last two years Gooder has served as an independent adviser on trademark issues around the world, including a stint as of counsel at Harvey & Co.

Before joining Brown-Forman, Gooder practiced IP law at Graham & James in Los Angeles and Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps in San Diego. He has also served as an officer and director of the International Trademark Association, a global organization dedicated to supporting trademark and other IP rights.

At Brown-Forman, Gooder assembled a cross-functional team in more than 190 countries, he states on LinkedIn. "I built the company's trademark portfolio from scratch, directed all facets of rights clearance, brand protection (including anti-counterfeiting), licensing and entertainment deals," he states.

He also helped develop an enforcement protocol and protest letter that gained notoriety for its exceptional politeness.

Gooder adds to the West Coast flavor of PTO leadership. Iancu hails from Los Angeles and PTO Deputy Director Laura Peter worked in Silicon Valley before joining the agency. Gooder worked for Brown-Forman out of San Rafael, California.