Chris Scharff is a Shareholder at McAndrews who focuses on all areas of intellectual property. Since the enactment of theAmerica Invents Act, Chris’ practice has included a particular emphasis on
inter partes
review (IPR) challenges of patentsbefore the U.S. Patent Office. Chris has represented clients in over 65 IPR proceedings in the last five years, resulting inover a dozen early-stage non-institution wins on behalf of patent-owner clients, as well as numerous favorable finaldecisions or settlements for both patent-challenger and patent-owner clients. Patexia named Chris the 31
most active IPRpractitioner in 2018, the 45
best-performing IPR practitioner the same year, and the 22
most active IPR practitioner in2017. He is a frequent speaker and author on IPR topics.
Chris’s practice also includes patent litigation through discovery, trial, and appeal. Chris is a member of the bar of both theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. Chris regularly represents both plaintiffs anddefendants in disputes ranging from small cases to ones involving hundreds of millions of dollars. He has representedclients in patent disputes on technologies as varied as orthopedic implants, infusion pumps, spinal surgery devices, GPShardware, chemical products, advanced materials, automotive technology, food processing, and wireless communicationtechnology. In addition, Chris also regularly assists clients with patent prosecution, freedom-to-operate opinions, trademarkportfolio management, IP due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, licensing negotiations, and other matters.