Biography
Chris Agrawal advises technology companies on obtaining patent protection and analyzing patent-related risks and opportunities. Chris has been recognized as a “leading patent professional” by IAM Patent 1000, and a “Patent Star” by Managing Intellectual Property, for his work in developing and implementing high-impact patent strategies.
Chris manages patent prosecution across a wide range of mechanical, computer, software, and Internet-related technologies. He has prosecuted numerous patent portfolios, including those of Internet startups, growing industrial companies, and publicly-traded consumer device and Internet companies.
Chris counsels clients on portfolio strategies, patent infringement, validity, and clearance, especially for clients growing into new business areas. Chris’s experience also includes district court litigation, providing significant insights for developing high-value patent portfolios and evaluating third-party patents.
Chris also has particular experience in patent transactions and related activities, such as searching for target patent acquisitions, conducting due diligence investigations, and negotiating patent sales and licenses. He has significant experience in marketing patents to third parties and evaluating patents desired for purchase.
Before practicing law, Chris worked as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), where he reviewed patent applications covering electrical and metal manufacturing technologies. While earning his undergraduate degree, Chris researched nanotechnology techniques during the design and manufacture of a nanopositioning stage for carbon-nanotubes.
Highlights
- Worked within a core team of IP lawyers in marketing and selling a patent portfolio for over US$1bn.
- Managing a patent harvesting and filing program for a publicly-traded Internet company.
- Currently advising several startup Internet, software, and e-commerce companies on all aspects of their IP strategies.
- Successfully represented a military defense contractor in enforcing its trade secret rights in U.S. district court.
- Clerked for an administrative patent judge at the USPTO’s Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences.
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Education
- George Washington University Law School, J.D., 2009
- George Washington University, B.S., Mechanical Engineering, magna cum laude, 2005
Professional Recognition
- Recognized by LMG Life Sciences as a Life Sciences Star, 2022.
- Recognized by The Legal 500 for patent prosecution (including re-examination and post-grant proceedings) (nationwide), 2020-2023.
- Recognized by Managing Intellectual Property as a “Patent Star” for Patent Prosecution, 2016-2023.
- Recognized by IAM Patent 1000 as a “Leading Patent Professional” for Patent Prosecution, 2016-2023.
- Recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers for intellectual property, 2015-2019.
Publications
- Author. “USPTO Releases Updated Patent-Eligibility Guidance Favorable to Patent Applicants,” BoMc Blog, April 20, 2018.
- Author. “USPTO Releases Updated Examination Guidance on Patent Eligibility Under Section 101,” BoMc Blog, May 18, 2016.
- Author. “Early Publication and Non-publication Options Available for Influencing Timing of Publication of Pending Patent Applications,” BoMc Blog, July 2, 2015.
- Author. “Preparing Invention Disclosure Materials for New Software and Mobile Apps,” BoMc Blog, May 19, 2015.
- Author. “Claim Construction at the Federal Circuit post-Teva,” BoMc Blog, March 24, 2015.
- Coauthor. “Justices Eager For Definition Of ‘Abstract’ In Alice Case,” Law360, March 31, 2014.
- Author. “Protection for Mobile Apps – There’s a Patent App for That,” Law360, April 18, 2013.
Organizations
- Association of Intellectual Property Firms (AIPF), President, 2021
- AIPF, Vice-President 2020
- AIPF, Board of Directors
- South Asian Bar Association-DC Chapter (SABA-DC), Vice President of the Board of Directors, 2018-2019
- Leadership Council for Legal Diversity (LCLD), Fellow, 2016