Summary

Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Chris focuses his practice on intellectual property and technology law, with a particular emphasis in the areas of patent preparation and prosecution and IP litigation. Chris regularly prepares and facilitates ongoing prosecution of patent applications at the USPTO in the electrical, mechanical, and computer science arts. Chris also routinely prepares and facilitates ongoing prosecution of design patent applications in the U.S. and internationally, and has experience with obtaining design protection for consumer products, industrial products, and graphical user interfaces. He has extensive experience with a broad range of technologies including computer systems, software, networking, telecommunications, wireless communications, manufacturing systems, mobile and cloud computing, consumer products, robotics, industrial automation, 3D printing, electrical innovations, e-commerce, and medical devices. Further, Chris represents clients in high-stakes IP litigation matters, including patent infringement, and in post-grant proceedings (inter partes review) before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the USPTO.

In addition, Chris has experience in all phases of eDiscovery and uses his IP litigation experience to bring a litigator’s point of view to eDiscovery matters. His practical experience in complex litigation, combined with his background in computer science and prior experience as a network engineer for IBM Corporation, allows him to see the bigger picture and develop unique strategies for how to use eDiscovery functions to achieve clients’ goals. While working for IBM Corporation, Chris designed and maintained a variety of redundant network architectures, assisted in the deployment and administration of network security devices designed to protect data integrity, and designed internal tools and databases for tracking network assets.

Awards

  • Honoree, Best Lawyers® “Ones to Watch,” Intellectual Property Law (2022 – 2024)

All Service Areas

Education

  • University of Cincinnati College of Law (2008)
  • Purdue University (2003)

Admissions

  • State - Ohio
  • Federal - United States Patent and Trademark Office

Notable Matters

Intellectual Property  

  • Identifies and advises clients with respect to the risks and rewards of IP ownership, prosecution, and protection strategies.
  • Counsels clients as to securement, ownership, licensing, avoidance of infringement, dispute resolution, and enforcement of patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
  • Conducts IP audits/due diligence analysis of usage and ownership of intellectual property by clients and third parties.
  • Conducts IP mining sessions to assist clients in identifying innovative aspects of new products and services for which intellectual property protection may be desirable.

Patent Prosecution, Drafting & Consultation

  • Prepares and facilitates ongoing prosecution of patent applications at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the electrical, mechanical, and computer science arts.
  • Prepares and facilitates the ongoing prosecution of international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and foreign national patent applications.
  • Prepares and facilitates ongoing prosecution of U.S., foreign, and international design patent applications.
  • Performs patentability studies and clearance studies related to various technologies.
  • Counsels clients with respect to structuring and managing invention identification and protection programs.
  • Educates in-house inventors regarding patent application preparation and prosecution.
  • Structures and documents licensing and other transactions for the commercialization of patents and related assets and rights.
  • Performs freedom-to-operate studies and competitive patent portfolio analysis, including counseling clients with respect to patent portfolio development and management and related assets and rights.

Startups & Emerging Growth Companies

  • Counsels inventors in the completion of invention disclosure forms to facilitate in-depth disclosure of new innovations.
  • Develops and executes comprehensive IP development programs for startup businesses.

IP Litigation

  • Represents clients in matters before federal district courts, the USPTO, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
  • Provides counsel in a wide range of IP litigation matters, including patent infringement and computer software copyright infringement, and in post-grant proceedings (inter partes review) before the PTAB.
  • Develops claim charts, claim constructions, and assists in the preparation of Markman briefs.

eDiscovery  

  • Manages complex eDiscovery projects, including collection, processing, and review of data, management of document review teams, and production of documents.
  • Manages eDiscovery strategy in cases of all sizes, from small document productions to cases involving millions of records and terabytes of data.

Speeches and Publications

  • Presenter, “Software Patents: A Moving Target,” The Circuit (Oct. 2015)
  • Presenter, “Learn the Basics of Protecting Your IP,” Central Kentucky Investors Council (CKIC) (Nov. 2014)

Professional Affiliations

  • Cincinnati Bar Association
  • South Asian Bar Association of North America
  • Cincinnati Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Intellectual Property Owners' Association

Community Involvement

  • Indian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky (IACC)