Christopher TL Douglas

Strategic Counseling, Patent Preparation and Patent Prosecution

• Patent portfolio manager and strategist for a global leader in gas detection, fall protection, electrical safety, sensors, mobile computers, barcode scanners, printers, and material handling automation.
• Strategic counsel and portfolio manager for a global developer of machine learning systems and data analytics platforms.
• Patent counsel in acquisitions, transactions, and patent preparation/prosecution for the world leader in natural language generation.
• Prepared and prosecuted patent applications related to signaling at various communications layers, radio communications protocols, carrier aggregation, voice and facial recognition, intelligent transportation systems and user interface systems in the United States and abroad.
• Drafted and prosecuted patent applications related to telecommunications and computer-based technologies, with an emphasis on virtual infrastructure, Internet architecture, cloud computing, mobile signaling, machine learning, image processing, search technologies, satellite and broadcast television, mobile applications, wireless technologies and natural language processing.

Representative USPTO Post-Grant Proceedings

• Counsel for a leading battery manufacturer in four inter partes review proceedings relating to rechargeable lithium-ion battery cells and packs.
• Counsel for a Fortune 100 company in multiple inter partes review proceedings relating to in-home automation, location awareness, energy management systems and methods.
• Counsel for a Fortune 100 company in three inter partes review proceedings relating to fluorine chemistry.
• Counsel for a leader in marine electronics in multiple inter partes review proceedings concerning sonar technology.
• Counsel for a leading provider of technology for reservoir characterization, drilling, production and processing to the oil and gas industry in multiple inter partes review proceedings relating to drilling solutions.
• Counsel for a smart grid and smart distribution solutions leader in multiple inter partes review proceedings concerning data encryption.
• Obtained confirmation of all claims in a final written decision for a patent owner in an inter partes review concerning machine vision technology.
• Counsel for multiple inter partes and ex parte reexamination proceedings related to global positioning systems, light emitting diodes, motion control systems, middleware, and medical devices.

Chris Douglas is a proven leader in Alston & Bird’s pre-grant and post-grant patent practice areas. Chris is in the top 1 percent of all active post-grant practitioners nationwide and is consistently recognized one of the most successful practitioners before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Chris maintains a robust pre-grant patent preparation and prosecution practice managing patent portfolios to position them for monetization and downstream litigation. Chris is chosen by clients because of his experience in both pre-grant and post-grant proceedings.

Chris was named as a “Leading IP Strategist” by IAM 300 in 2021, was recommended for both Post-Grant Proceedings (National) and Prosecution (North Carolina) by IAM 1000, and was recognized as a top 15 best performing attorney by Patexia. Chris has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America^® since 2018 in Intellectual Property Litigation. Chris co-wrote the USPTO Post-Grant Trials Handbook and frequently speaks and publishes on patent post-grant proceedings, software patent eligibility, and patent drafting / prosecution strategies.

Chris served as an armor officer in the U.S. Army and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Bar Admissions

• North Carolina
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Washington

Education

• Seattle University (J.D., 2006)
• University of Redlands (B.S., 2003)