Speaker 02.20.25
02.20
Keeping Out of the Courtroom: When Negotiations Hit Hurdles
2:00PM - 2:50PM KST
JW Marriott Dongdaemun
279 Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jongno District Seoul, South Korea
Chris Kao is based in Pillsbury’s San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices, where he focuses on intellectual property and complex commercial litigation. Chris is Pillsbury’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group leader and Taiwan Practice co-leader.
Chris is an experienced first-chair trial lawyer representing technology companies in patent, copyright, trademark and trade secrets litigation, and other high-stakes commercial disputes. He has represented companies in the computer hardware and software, semiconductor, telecommunications, biotechnology, and consumer products industries in federal and state courts throughout the country, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He has extensive experience litigating Covered Business Method and inter partes review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Chris also regularly advises clients on privacy and cybersecurity issues and is designated a Certified International Privacy Professional/U.S. by the IAPP.
Before joining Pillsbury, Chris was the office managing partner of another firm’s Silicon Valley office.
Representative Experience
- Lead counsel for leading technology companies in consolidated patent infringement actions related to distributed processing technology; obtained judgment on the pleadings invalidating all asserted patents for claiming unpatentable subject matter. The judgment was affirmed by the Federal Circuit (N.D. Cal.).
- Lead counsel for social networking company in patent infringement action relating to online marketplaces. Obtained dismissal of litigation after successfully invalidating the asserted patent in a Covered Business Method review before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (D. Del.).
- Lead counsel for e-commerce company in a patent infringement action relating to internet database patents. Obtained summary judgment invalidating all asserted patents. The judgment was affirmed by the Federal Circuit (N.D. Cal.).
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- Patent Litigation
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Lead counsel for telecommunications company in patent infringement action concerning smart phone technology. Obtained judgment on the pleadings finding both asserted patents invalid for claiming unpatentable subject matter (D. Del.).
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Lead counsel for enterprise software company in a patent infringement action relating to document management technology. Obtained dismissal based on finding both asserted patents invalid for claiming unpatentable subject matter (N.D. Cal.).
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Lead counsel for social networking company in a patent infringement action relating to online social network. Obtained dismissal finding both asserted patents invalid for claiming unpatentable subject matter (S.D.N.Y, N.D. Cal.).
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Lead counsel for Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturing company in a patent infringement action relating to semiconductor technology. Obtained dismissal of litigation for lack of standing (N.D. Cal.).
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Lead counsel for Taiwanese electronics company in a patent infringement action relating to LED technology. Filed petition for inter partes review challenging asserted patent; petition was instituted (N.D. Cal.).
- Lead counsel for enterprise software company in a patent infringement action relating to metadata removal and document comparison technology. Filed petitions for inter partes review challenging asserted patents; petitions were instituted by PTAB (D. Del.).
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Lead counsel for memory device company in patent infringement and antitrust action concerning solid-state drive and DRAM technology (C.D. Cal.).
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Lead counsel for television company in patent and antitrust litigation relating to MPEG-2, H.264, and ATSC standard-essential patents (C.D. Cal.).
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Lead counsel for memory device company in patent infringement action concerning DRAM technology. Filed petitions for inter partes review challenging asserted patents; successfully invalidated two asserted patents at the PTAB (C.D. Cal.).
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Lead counsel for unmanned aerial vehicle company in patent infringement action relating to drone technology (N.D. Cal.).
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Lead counsel for Taiwanese electronics company in patent infringement action concerning LED technology (D. Del.).
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Lead counsel for Taiwanese semiconductor company in patent infringement action concerning semiconductor technology (E.D. Tex.).
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Lead counsel for Taiwanese semiconductor company in patent infringement action concerning semiconductor technology (W.D. Tex.).
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Lead counsel for Taiwanese electronics company in patent infringement action concerning wireless technology (W.D. Tex.).
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Lead counsel for Taiwanese electronics company in patent infringement action concerning LTE technology (C.D. Cal.).
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Lead counsel for gaming technology company in patent infringement action relating to LTE technology (D. Del.).
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- PTAB Proceedings
- Lead counsel for a social networking company in a Covered Business Method (CBM) proceeding challenging a patent relating to online marketplaces.
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Lead counsel for electronic payments company in a CBM proceeding challenging a patent relating to electronic receipts.
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Lead counsel for semiconductor manufacturer in inter partes (“IPR”) proceedings challenging patents relating to semiconductor technology.
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Lead counsel for memory device company in four IPR proceedings challenging patents concerning DRAM technology.
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Lead counsel for memory device company in eight IPR proceedings challenging patents concerning SD card technology.
- Lead counsel for computer component company in IPR proceedings challenging patents relating to connector technology.
- Lead counsel for computer hardware company in inter partes proceedings challenging patents relating to connector technology.
- Lead counsel for enterprise software company in IPR proceedings challenging patents relating to metadata removal and document comparison technology.
- Lead counsel for leading software companies in IPR proceedings challenging patents relating to distributed computing.
- Lead counsel for a medical device company in an IPR proceeding challenging patent relating to dental drill assistance technology.
Professional Highlights
- Recognized by Best Lawyers (published by BL Rankings LLC), Litigation – Intellectual Property (2018 – 2025) and Litigation – Patent (2021 – 2025)
- Selected to the Northern California Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2016 – 2020.
- Selected to the Northern California Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2009 – 2010 and 2012 – 2015.
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- Recent Presentations
- “Keeping Out of the Courtroom: When Negotiations Hit Hurdles,” IPBC Korea Conference (February 20. 2025). Panelist.
- “Firm Overview Introducing Pillsbury,” webinar hosted by FRONTEO (December 8, 2023). Speaker.
- “Application of U.S. Intellectual Property Law to Activities Outside of the United States,” webinar hosted by FRONTEO (December 8, 2023). Speaker.
- “Recent Developments at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in Litigation Financing for IP Cases,” webinar hosted by FRONTEO (February 2, 2023). Speaker.
- “Intellectual Property, Patents and Protecting Ideas for Manufacturers,” Town Hall Special hosted by Revolution.Aero (April 20, 2021). Speaker.
- “The Sharp Rise of Anti-Asian Hate During COVID-19: AAPIs as Perpetual Foreigners,” webinar hosted by Pillsbury (March 16, 2021). Moderator.
- “How to Defend the Claim for Infringement on Invention Patents, or What Countermeasures Can be Taken in Various Jurisdictions?,” webinar hosted by the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (January 11, 2021). Speaker.
- “Industry Insights – IP Trends,” webinar hosted by Pillsbury (May 21, 2020). Speaker.
- “U.S. Privacy Laws: Preparing for 2020,” at legal seminar titled “U.S. Legal Trends in IP, Trade and Commerce,” hosted by Pillsbury and the Taiwan Intellectual Property Training Academy, Taipei City, Taiwan (March 6, 2019). Speaker.
- “U.S. Privacy Laws: Preparing for 2020,” at legal seminar titled “U.S. Legal Trends in IP, Trade and Commerce,” hosted by Pillsbury in Shenzhen, China (March 8, 2019). Speaker.
- “Recent Developments in Post-Grant Proceedings Practice at the PTAB,” Legal seminar titled “The Changing Tides in Global IP Protection” hosted by Pillsbury, the Taiwan Intellectual Property Training Academy and the National Taiwan University College of Law, Center for Law, Technology and Ethics, Taipei City, Taiwan, June 2018. Speaker.
- Associations
- American Bar Association
- Bar Association of San Francisco
- San Francisco Bay Area Intellectual Property American Inn of Court
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Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus (Board member)
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Inter-Pacific Bar Association, Vice-chair, Intellectual Property Committee
- National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
- Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area
- Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley
Education
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J.D., Harvard Law School, 1999
with honors, President, Harvard Journal on LegislationB.A., Government and History, Dartmouth College, 1996
magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
Admissions
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California
New York
Courts
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U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
Registered Foreign Attorney in Taiwan (Member of Taipei Bar Association)
Clerkships
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Law clerk for the Honorable Carol B. Amon, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (2000-2001)