Christopher B. McKinley

Details

P 415.268.0542

F 415.989.1663

cmckinley@coblentzlaw.com

Education

J.D., magna cum laude,

Santa Clara University School of Law (2015)
B.S.

Florida Atlantic University (2006)

Practices

Intellectual Property

Litigation

Industries

Technology

Christopher McKinley focuses his practice on commercial litigation with an emphasis on intellectual property law, including litigating high-value patent and trade secret disputes. Chris litigates cases in various forums, including U.S. district courts, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), the International Trade Commission (ITC), and abroad. Chris also assists clients in developing and managing patent portfolios and providing counsel in intellectual property related transactions.

Chris previously served as a patent examiner with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, where he examined over 800 patent applications and issued over 200 patents. He brings extensive experience in technologies including medical devices, bicycle drivetrain and suspension systems, refrigeration systems, industrial shipping systems, trading and metadata cleaning software, and electric vehicle charging systems. Prior to joining Coblentz, Chris was an associate with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Palo Alto.

Chris’s pro bono efforts include representing disabled veterans on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, low-income tenants in unlawful detainer suits in San Mateo County, California, victims of domestic abuse in restraining order proceedings in California state court, asylum applicants, and low-income inventors seeking patent protection before the USPTO.

Chris earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the Santa Clara University School of Law in 2015. He received his B.S. from Florida Atlantic University in 2006, where he was a Division 1-A Football Scholar Athlete.

Patent

Kirsch Research and Development LLV v. GAF Corp. (ITC, D.N.J., PTAB). Represented defendant GAF, a leading U.S. supplier of roofing products, in a patent infringement suit regarding chemical composites in the International Trade Commission, District of New Jersey, and before the PTAB. Obtained dismissal of ITC investigation after successful claim construction on one patent, invalidation of another patent after a successful IPR, and affirmance of PTAB decision on appeal.*
Realtime Data LLC v. Fortinet, Inc. (D. Del.). Represented Fortinet, Inc. in successfully moving to dismiss a patent infringement lawsuit involving data compression technology brought by Realtime Data, LLC on Alice grounds. The Federal Circuit affirmed the decision on appeal.*
FHE USA LLC v. Lee Specialties Inc. (W.D. Tex.). Represented Frank Henry Equipment Ltd in successful offensive patent infringement suits against competitors involving oil and gas wellhead locking systems in U.S. district court and before the PTAB.*
Betak v. Miftakhov et al. (N.D. Cal.). Represented Enel Green Power North America, Inc. in a corrected inventorship lawsuit involving multiple patents directed to electric vehicle charging systems. Achieved favorable settlement.*

Technology Litigation

U.S. v. United Microelectronics Corporation, et al. (N.D. Cal.). Represented defendant Fujian Jinhua, a China-based manufacturer of DRAM memory devices, in a high-profile, eight-week criminal trade secrets trial brought by the United States. Jinhua was acquitted of all charges.*
Palantir Techs. Inc. v. Abramowitz (N.D. Cal.). Represented defendant Abramowitz in a trade secrets case involving cyber security, cyber insurance, and natural resource exploration. Achieved favorable settlement.*
Restore Robotics LLC v. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (N.D. Fla). Represented Intuitive Surgical, Inc. in an antitrust lawsuit against competitor Restore Robotics LLC involving the robotic da Vinci Surgical System. Achieved favorable settlement.*

Mergers and Acquisitions

PayPal Holdings, Inc. Part of the team that represented PayPal Holdings, Inc. in its $4 billion acquisition of Honey Science Corporation.*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Coblentz.