# Dan McKinnon

> Dan McKinnon, publicly listed as Daniel McKinnon, is CEO of Proof Authentication. Appointed in June 2021 alongside its Series A financing, he previously led global brand protection at New Balance. His public record includes China trademark enforcement, industry panels, a sneaker-law podcast, and a published product-authentication patent application.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Proof Authentication
- **Organizations:** Proof Authentication, New Balance (former)
- **Education:** The George Washington University Law School
- **Known for:** Helped lead New Balance’s international brand protection efforts before becoming Proof Authentication CEO., Named CEO in connection with Proof’s 2021 Series A and acquisition of DSS Digital., Named inventor in published US application US20210326905A1 (not a granted patent).

## Career timeline

- **2007** — A July trademark filing identifies him as corporate in-house trademark counsel at New Balance.
- **2017** — Associated with New Balance’s China enforcement effort and a roughly $1.5 million judgment involving New Boom and other defendants.
- **2019** — Listed as New Balance head of global brand protection and senior counsel at a Northeastern Law panel.
- **2021** — New Balance won a RMB25 million first-instance trademark judgment against New Barlun and Shanghai Shiyi; McKinnon was senior counsel, IP and global brand protection.
- **2021** — Proof Authentication announced his CEO appointment on June 22 alongside Series A financing led by VCFA Group.
- **2021** — Named inventor in product-authentication application US20210326905A1, published October 21.
- **2023** — Published Beware the QR code and Proof Joins IACC on LinkedIn.
- **2024** — Appeared on Villanova’s sneaker-law panel and discussed Proof’s Corsearch partnership.

## Achievements

- Helped lead New Balance’s international brand protection efforts before becoming Proof Authentication CEO.
- Named CEO in connection with Proof’s 2021 Series A and acquisition of DSS Digital.
- Named inventor in published US application US20210326905A1 (not a granted patent).

## Latest updates

- **2024-08** — Corsearch announced a partnership with Proof Authentication; McKinnon discussed incorporating authentication marks into manufacturing artwork.
- **2024-04** — Listed as a speaker on the Sole Counsel sneaker-law panel at Villanova’s fashion law symposium.
- **2023-03** — Published Proof Joins IACC on LinkedIn.
- **2023-02** — Published Beware the QR code on LinkedIn.

## Links

- Website: https://www.proofauthentication.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-mckinnon-28822a4

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dan-mckinnon
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11