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 15 years of experience practicing all areas of patent law, with particular emphasis on litigation. He also assists with due diligence, licensing, opinion and prosecution matters. Chris represents clients across a wide range of technical subjects, including software, medical devices, cybersecurity, UAVs, smartphones, video processing, telecommunications, two-way radios, user interfaces, computer architecture, power management, semiconductors, and various Internet-related technologies.

Chris has led litigation teams in multiple forums, appearing before U.S. district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Representing both patent owners and accused infringers, he has litigated numerous cases from conception through trial. Chris regularly balances parallel Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and district court proceedings, advising clients on strategic implications and strategies. He also conducts IP due diligence and portfolio and landscape analysis, and consults on licensing matters.

Chris presents continuing legal education (CLE) programs on various topics, including aspects of U.S. patent litigation, opinion practices, and post-America Invents Act (AIA) developments.

Before joining Finnegan,Chris served as a judicial extern for the Honorable A. Joe Fish at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. He also gained experience as a software and systems engineer at Texas Instruments, Raytheon, and Nokia.

Experience

Representing SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. in patent case concerning remote controls for a radio-controlled aircraft. IPRs pending.

1:17-cv-00242, W.D. Tex., Judge Yeakel

Represented LG Electronics in a litigation and ITC action concerning multi-standard video decoding and blending graphics images with video in television-related products.

337-TA-1047, ITC, Judge Shaw

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

Assisted Arris with IP due diligence related to $2.35 billion acquisition of Google’s Motorola Home business, involving over 3,000 pending and issued patents.

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. Prevailed on appeal where judgment was summarily affirmed.

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

6 more

Insights

Lecture

Conference on Intellectual Property Law

November 12-13, 2018

Plano

News

Press Release

Finnegan Plays Key Role in $2.35B Technology Acquisition

December 20, 2012

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