IP directors, CTOs, and CEOs crave legal partners who are tech-savvy, strong communicators, responsive, and budget-aware. That’s why from the first dot-com boom to today, innovative tech-focused companies, whether startups or the Fortune 500, and from Silicon Valley to Shoreditch to Singapore, have turned to Chris for strategic IP procurement advice, invention development, procuring their most important patents, and managing their IP portfolios.
Chris has over 30 years of experience advising clients on patent risk analysis, patent program portfolio development, patent negotiation with the USPTO and worldwide, expert opinions and testimony, trademark clearance and negotiation, international trademark disputes and domain name arbitrations, copyright and open-source counseling, and technology development agreements. He’s capable of building and managing portfolios whether they are giant or compact yet mission-critical.
He has experience in matters involving artificial intelligence and machine learning, e-procurement, security, distributed computer systems, networking, robotics, telecommunications, object-oriented software, and internet applications. Examples of specific patent drafting areas include ML-driven writing suggestions, incident response systems, card payment protocols, neural machine translation, e-mail security, recommendation systems, speech recognition, cryptography techniques, and digital imaging. He has extensive experience drafting claims in software cases to reduce subject matter eligibility rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 101 and negotiating eligibility with examiners. He closely tracks developments in the European Patent Office with a focus on multilateral success in patent matters.
Chris has served as a testifying witness on patent non-infringement and invalidity matters for Fortune 1000 companies and has an active opinion practice. He manages several large international trademark portfolios, including initiating and defending oppositions and other contested matters.
He started his career as a patent litigator and served two years as associate general counsel of NeXT Software, Inc. responsible for IP management—experience that enriches his ability to smartly assess IP risks while remaining attuned to the C-suite’s need for practical, actionable advice.
He co-chairs the Firm’s national Emerging Company/Venture Capital (ECVC) practice group and has worked extensively with startup companies from formation through early financing rounds and exist, adapting IP procurement strategies to fit budgets and investor goals.
