Christopher T. Blackford

Partner

+1 202 408 4027 +1 202 408 4027
christopher.blackford@finnegan.com christopher.blackford@finnegan.com

901 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001-4413

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Chris Blackford is a registered patent attorney with more than a decade of experience litigating intellectual property cases across a wide range of technical subjects, including cybersecurity, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), smartphones, telecommunications, user interfaces, multimedia, computer architecture, power and memory management, semiconductors, medical devices, and various Internet-related technologies.

Chris has appeared before U.S. district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He has served as lead counsel and participated in several patent trials on behalf of multinational companies. His experience includes balancing parallel proceedings in courts and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and litigating standard essential patents (SEPs). He also counsels clients on patent licensing.

Chris draws on years of industry experience as a software and systems engineer for companies such as Texas Instruments, Raytheon, and Nokia. His cases have spanned a wide range of technical subjects, including cybersecurity, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), smartphones, telecommunications, user interfaces, multimedia, computer architecture, power and memory management, semiconductors, medical devices, and various Internet-related technologies.

Et Cetera

Served as a judicial extern for the Honorable A. Joe Fish at the U.S. District Court for the N.D. Texas, 2004.

Experience

Represented DJI in asserting patents covering various UAV-related technologies.

5:16-cv-00595, C.D. Cal., Judges Bernal, Kato, O'Connell

Represented plaintiffs One-Blue, Sony, Pioneer, Philips, and Panasonic in a litigation asserting certain patents from the One-Blue pool covering essential elements of Blu-ray disc standards.

1:13-cv-00917, D. Del., Judge Stark

Represented plaintiff Syneron in district court case concerning aesthetic medical devices, resulting in settlement acknowledging infringement and validity.

2:14-cv-00639, E.D. Tex., Judge Gilstrap

Represented LG Electronics in a litigation and ITC action concerning certain media technologies in smartphones and televisions, home theater systems, Blu-ray disc players, and tablets. Following trial, all four asserted patents were found not infringed and/or invalid.

337-TA-882, ITC, Judge Shaw

Defended FedEx in litigation relating to bar code technology. After a favorable claim construction, BarTex conceded summary judgment of invalidity. Argued the case on appeal and judgment was summarily affirmed.

10-1397, Fed. Cir., Judges Newman, Schall, Linn
6:07-cv-00385, E.D. Tex., Judges Davis, Love

Represented Ameriprise against infringement allegations concerning certain secure fund transfer services.

2:12-cv-00673, E.D. Tex., Judges Gilstrap, Payne

3 more

Insights

Lecture

Conference on Intellectual Property Law

November 12-13, 2018

Plano

News

Press Release

Finnegan Announces New Partners for 2013

December 10, 2012

Media Mention

Patent Litigation Weekly: FedEx Sends Scott Harris Patent Packing

March 29, 2010

Corporate Counsel

Professional Activities

State Bar of Texas
American Bar Association
American Intellectual Property Law Association
Order of the Coif

Admissions and Education

Admissions

District of Columbia
Texas

U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Education

Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law: J.D., cum laude, 2004

University of Texas, Dallas: M.S., Electrical Engineering, 2001

University of Texas, Dallas: B.S., Electrical Engineering, 1999

Christopher's Practices

Patent Litigation: Appeals; ITC Section 337; Patent Trial; Pre-Trial Strategy
Patent Office Examinations: Prosecution
Patent Office Trials: IPR, PGR, and CBM
Patent Portfolio Management, Monetization, and Transactions: Due Diligence; Licensing, Pooling, and Other Transactions; Opinions and Counseling

Christopher's Industries

Aerospace, Aviation, and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
Consumer Products
Electrical and Computer Technology
Electronic Devices and Components
Internet of Things (IoT)
Medical Device
Sports and Fitness