Christopher Carani Esq.

Christopher V. Carani, Esq.

Partner/Shareholder
McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd.
Email: ccarani@mcandrews-ip.com
Tel. (312) 775-8000

Why did I start dpatents.com?

I created Dpatent.com not only to highlight my long-standing practice in the field of design law (a field which regards design rights of all kind, including design patents, trade dress, and copyrights), but also to provide a forum for exploring the intersection between design and intellectual property law.  From the U.S. Supreme Court’s seminal decision in 1871 in Gorham v. White (spoons) to the more recent battle between Apple v. Samsung (smartphones and tablets), design patent jurisprudence has perplexed practitioners, the judiciary, legislators and stakeholders alike.  On its face, design law can seem, and be, so simple – does this look like that?  But once under the surface, there remain vast murky areas that continually escape the grasp of needed clarity, and even other areas that have yet to be substantively explored at all.  As the consumer appetite for good design increases and the world of design responds, so to must the law must evolve to provide effective protection and enforcement for these creations.  Dpatents.com seeks to play an important part in achieving this goal.  As for the name DPatents.com, the name is focused on the “D” in design.  More specifically, unlike much of the rest of the world, design rights in the U.S. fall under the country’s patent laws, and thus the afforded design right is called a “design patent.”  On the register of U.S. patents, design patents are distinguished from their more popular cousin utility patents by inclusion of the letter “D” before the numerical patent number.  (e.g. D723, 263, D643,121).  It is this “D”, representing design, that Dpatent.com seeks to showcase.

ENGLISH | 名表

A brief biography

Christopher V. Carani, Esq. is a partner and shareholder at the intellectual property law firm of McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd. He has been with the firm since 1995. His practice regards all aspects of intellectual property law with experience enforcing, procuring and developing IP rights across a wide-range of technologies, which include: apparel, accessories and footwear, automotive accessories, baby/children's products, beauty/hair care, bottle design, candies and confectionaries, cell phones and accessories, computers and computer accessories, computer software, consumer electronics and accessories, consumer retail products, cutlery, dental equipment, eye care and eyewear, fabric design, fashion design, financial services, furniture, gaming, hardware and tools, home furnishings and housewares, industrial machinery, insurance services, jewelry, lawn and garden, lighting (indoor/outdoor), medical devices, music composition, musical instruments and accessories, non-woven fabrics, novelty items, packaging, refractometers, restaurant and beverage industry, safety devices, sporting goods and athletic equipment, toys and games, and visual arts.

He is a leading voice and internationally recognized in the field of Design IP (which regards design patents, trade dress and copyrights), having litigated numerous design disputes, and published and lectured extensively on the topic, including presentations at the United States Patent &Trademark Office (Washington D.C.), the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva, Switzerland), the Korean Patent Office (Daejeon, Korea), the Chinese Patent Office (Beijing, China) and the European Union’s Office of Harmonization of the Internal Markets (Alicante, Spain).

He represents some of the world’s most design centric companies, including the U.S. top filer of design patents and the world’s largest beverage company. He counsels a wide range of clients on strategic design protection and enforcement issues; he is often called upon to render infringement, validity and design-around opinions and serve as a legal consultant/expert in Design IP cases.  Carani has worked with clients securing over 2000 design rights, both in the U.S and in over 70 countries around the world.

Chris is the former chair of the American Bar Association’s Design Rights Committee, and also the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s (AIPLA) Committee on Industrial Designs.  Chris is currently appointed to the Board of Directors for the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI-US) and the U.S. delegate for AIPPI’s Design Law Committee.

Chris has extensive experience litigating Design IP cases, including representations before the USPTO, U.S. district courts, the Federal Circuit, U.S. Supreme Court and the ITC. Notably, in the landmark design patent case Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa, he authored amicus briefs on behalf of the APLA at both the petition and en banc stages, taking positions which were ultimately adopted by the Federal Circuit, thereby reshaping U.S. law on design patents. In Calmar, Inc. v. Arminak & Assoc., Chris authored a brief on behalf of the Industrial Design Society of America in support of a petition for writ of certiori to the U.S. Supreme Court on the critical issue of who is the ordinary observer for purposes of determining design patent infringement.

Prior to joining McAndrews, Mr. Carani served as a law clerk to the Honorable Rebecca R. Pallmeyer at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Mr. Carani was conferred his Juris Doctorate from The Law School at The University of Chicago.  Chris also completed advanced studies on comparative law, including IP law, at the Universitá di Siena, in Siena, Italy.  He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (minor in Mathematics) from Marquette University. During his studies at Marquette University, Chris conducted extensive research on extrusion techniques for engineering thermoplastics, resins, compounds and alloys.

He is licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals and other U.S. District Courts. He is a registered patent attorney licensed to practice before the USPTO. Chris has received numerous awards and accolades from IAM Patent 1000 (2015), Super Lawyers (2014-15), Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2007-2013) and Leading Lawyers Network (2013-15).He is frequent contributor to CNN and Bloomberg TV on intellectual property law issues, and often is called upon to provide comment to other media outlets, including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, PBS TV, CNBC TV, BBC, Reuters, InformationWeek, Fast Company, ComputerWorld, PCWorld, Washington Post, L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, Fortune, and FoxBusiness TV. Away from the law, Chris is a studied jazz musician playing upright bass on the Chicago jazz circuit. He is also an avid marathon cross country skier, having completed marathon ski races in U.S., Canada, Norway, Finland, Austria, Italy, Swtizerland and Germany.

Related Experience

Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Rebecca R. Pallmeyer at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Honors & Awards

  • Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Patent 1000 - The World's Leading Patent Practitioners (Intellectual Property Litigation) (Illinois, 2007-15)
  • Super Lawyers (Intellectual Property Law) (Illinois, 2014-15) (Rising Star 2007-2013)
  • Leading Lawyers (Intellectual Property Law) (Illinois, 2013-15)
  • American Inn of Court, Outstanding Program Award (2011), Night at the Museum of Designs, Co-Chair
  • Chicago Law Bulletin, the nation’s oldest daily law bulletin, “Top 40 Attorneys Under 40” (Illinois)
  • Chick Evans Scholarship issued by the Western Golf Association (4-year full-ride scholarship)

Leadership Positions

  • International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, Design Rights Committee (Appointed US Delegate 2014-16; Board of Directors for AIPPI-US)
  • American Bar Association, Chairperson of Committee on Design Rights (2010-2013); liaison to
  • World Intellectual Property Office Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (2010-present)
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association, Past Chairperson of Committee on Industrial Design (2006-10); Vice-Chair (2004-2006); Chair of AIPPI-AIPLA Relations Committee
  • Advisory Design Council for The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (2010-present)
  • La Società Modenese di Mutuo Soccorso (Vice-President) (2009-present)

Professional & Community Involvement

  • Richard Linn American Inn of Court, Barrister Member
  • International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) (2015-16, Member of Steering Committee; U.S. Delegate to Design Rights Committee)
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association (Industrial Designs Committee)
  • Intellectual Property Owners Association (Design Rights Committee Member)
  • American Bar Association (Design Rights Committee)
  • International Trademark Association (Design Rights Committee)
  • Justinian Society of Italian-American Lawyers (Member)
  • Federation Internationale des Conseils en Propriete Industrielle (Member)
  • Former Federal Law Clerk Society (Member)

Select Publications & Press

  • Design Patent Functionality: A Sensible Solution, American Bar Association, Landslide® Magazine, American Bar Association, Volume 7, Number 2 (November-December 2014) View File.
  • IBM Ranks Top in Annual U.S. Patents Granted for the 22nd Straight Year, Bloomberg TV, TV Interview (January 2015) View File
  • T-Mobile’s Accusation that Huawei Stole Robot-Testing Technology, TV Interview, (September 8, 2014) View File
  • IP Law and Sound Business Practice, Today's General Counsel (April/May 2014) View File.
  • Lawyer Carani Discusses Apple-Samsung Patent Cases, Bloomberg West, TV Interview, (August 9, 2013) View File.
  • Design Patents Take Center Stage, Landslide® Magazine, American Bar Association, Volume 5, Number 3 (January-February 2013) View File.
  • Design Patent Lessons from Apple v. Samsung, Managing IP Magazine, (September 2012 )
  • Apple verdict: Set to stifle or spur innovation?, CNN.com, OpEd, (September 2012) View File.
  • 7 Open Questions In The IP World, Inside Counsel Magazine (February 2013)  View File.
  • Securing Intellectual Property for Furniture Design, Furniture & Accessories Magazine, (May-June 2012)  View File
  • Success By Design: The Three Dimensional Career of Intellectual Property Attorney Christopher V. Carani, 2012 Super Lawyer Magazine, (January 2012)  View File.
  • Apple v. Samsung: Intelligence of Apple’s U.S. Design Patent Offensive, BNA Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal, 82 PTCJ 906 (October 2011)  View File.
  • Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Design Patents Get a Helping Hand From Federal Circuit - Vanguard v. Kappos,, BNA's Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal, 81 PTCJ 687 (March 2011) View File
  • Federal Circuit Upholds Design Patent, The National Law Journal (January 2011) View File.
  • Gorham v. White: A Retrospective, Suffolk University Law School, (January 2011) View File.
  • Don't Knock It, Footwear Plus Magazine, (June 2010) View File.
  • Design patents get boost from Federal Circuit, The National Law Journal, May 2010. View File.
  • Infringers Beware!: Design Patents Sharpen Teeth With Major Court Victory, Apparel Magazine (May 2010) View File.
  • Press Release: Thomas Reuters (West) Publishing Selects Carani's Law Review Article as one of the Year's 20 Best Law Review Articles, (March 2010) View File.
  • The New "Extra-Ordinary" Observer Test for Design Patent Infringement-On a Crash Course With the Supreme Court's Precedent in Gorham v. White, 8 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 354 (May 2009).  View File.
  • Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa: En Banc Federal Circuit Court Searches For The Rosetta Stone For Design Patent Jurisprudence, Intellectual Property Today (October 2008)  View File. Significant Amicus Briefs Authored
  • Brief for Amicus Curiae The American Intellectual Property Law Association, Lawman Armor Corp. v. Winner Int’l LLC., 2005-1253, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, (en banc stage)
  • Brief for Amicus Curiae The American Intellectual Property Law Association, Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc., 2006-1562, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, (petition stage)
  • Brief for Amicus Curiae The American Intellectual Property Law Association, Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc., 2006-1562, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, (en banc stage) (landmark design patent infringement case)
  • Brief for Amicus Curiae Industrial Designers Society of America, Calmar, Inc. v. Arminak & Assoc., 2007-1263, United States Supreme Court,  (petition for writ of certiorari)
  • Brief for Amicus Curiae The American Intellectual Property Law Association, Richardson v. Stanley Works, Inc., 2009-1354, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, (petition stage)

Presentations

  • “Strategic Design Patent Prosecution,” United States Patent & Trademark Office Forum, Chicago, Illinois, June 2015
  • “Ornamental Does Not Mean Non-Functional,” International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, Swiss IP Day, Berne, Switzerland, May 2015
  • “Design IP for UX Design,” New York Technology Council, New York, New York, May 2015
  • “The Intersection of Design Patent and Trade Dress Law,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Spring Meeting, Los Angeles, California, May 2015
  • Instructor: IDSA Expert Witness Training Seminar, Industrial Designers Society of America, Alexandria, Virginia, May 2015
  • “U.S. Design Patent Law: A Comparative Analysis with Korean Design Law,” Korean Intellectual Property Office, Daejeon, Korea, January 2015
  • “Design Patents and Prior Art Under AIA” Design Law 2014, George Washington Law School and Indiana University School of Law, Washington D.C., November 2014
  • “Chinese Design Patents: How to Build a Strong Portfolio," IP in Asia Forum 2014, Managing Intellectual Property Conference, Cupertino, California, May 2014
  • “Case Law Trends For Design Patent Damages,” Law Seminars International, Litigating Patent Damages Conference, San Francisco, May 2014
  • “Written Description Requirement As Applied to Design Patents,” 2014 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, Kansas State Bar Association, Overland Park, Kansas, May 2014
  • “From Spoons to Smartphones: Strategic Considerations for Product Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” Annual Conference, Industrial Designer’s Society of America, Chicago, Illinois, April 2014
  • “The Industrial (Design) Revolution: Perspectives on Recent Developments in Canada and the U.S.,” Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, Ottawa, Canada, September 2013
  • “Protecting Your Intellectual Property in the Global Marketplace,” Global Intellectual Property Academy, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, Detroit, Michigan, September 2013
  • “International Design Protection Strategies,” AIPPI Forum & ExCo, Helsinki, Finland, September 2013
  • “Hot Topics: US Design Patents,” Managing Intellectual Property Magazine, Global IP & Innovation Summit, Shanghai, China, September 2013
  • “Advanced Strategies for U.S. Design Patent Litigation,”  Brazilian Association of Intellectual Property, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 2013
  • “Design IP in the Mobile Device Space: The Growth of Enforcement and Current Avenues of Protection,” American Bar Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, August 2013
  • “The Future of Design Protection,” organized by University of Oxford in connection with Center for Intellectual Property Research, Indiana University, sponsored by Microsoft Corporation and McAndrews, Oxford, England, November 2012
  • “The Path to Meaningful Design Patent Protection,” World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) and Chilean Patent Office, Santiago,, Chile, November 2011
  • “Strategic Enforcement of U.S. Intellectual Property Rights,” In-House IP Managers Forum, London, England, January 2011
  • Keynote Speaker: “Design Law for Designers: The In's and Out's,” Apparel's 2010 Tech Conference, Hosted by the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, New York, November 2010
  • “Comparative Analysis Between U.S. Design Patent System and European Community Design Registration System,” Office of Harmonization and Internal Markets (OHIM) and World Intellectual Property Organization, Alicante, Spain, September 2009
  • “Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc.: Shock and Aftershock, An Analysis of the En Banc Decision and Its Effect on Design Patent Litigation,” United States Patent & Trademark Office, Design Day 2009, Alexandria, VA, April 2009

Christopher V. Carani 先生是McAndrews, Held & Malloy律师事务所的合伙人以及股东。McAndrews, Held & Malloy律师事务所（简称”McAndrews”）是一家专攻知识产权法的律师事务所，位于美国伊利诺伊州的芝加哥。Christopher V. Carani 先生是知识产权法领域，包括应用专利、设计专利、商标、贸易服饰和版权等的立法和执行上都是行业内的代表和领军人物，并以知识产权为题，广泛地发表著作并在全球范围包括美国专利与商标局（美国华盛顿特区）、世界知识产权组织（瑞士日内瓦）、韩国专利局（韩国大田市）、中国专利局（中国北京）、巴西专利局（巴西里约热内卢）和欧盟的内部市场协调办公室（西班牙阿利坎特）等机构进行演讲。

Christopher V. Carani 先生代理着一些全球最以设计为核心的公司，包括美国最顶尖的设计专利申请者。他为大范围的客户提供战略应用、设计保护和法律执行上的法务咨询；也经常被邀请提出有关侵权、合法性以及围绕设计的专业意见，并且作为法律顾问/专家为客户提供服务。与Carani 先生合作的客户在美国和全世界70个以上的国家拥有超过1000项发明专利和2000项设计版权。

Christopher V. Carani 先生在设计知识产权案的诉讼领域有着相当丰富的经验，包括在美国地区法院、联邦巡回法院、美国最高法院及国际贸易中心前的陈述。在设计专利的标志性案件Egyptian Goddess 对 Swisa的诉讼中，Carani 先生在上诉和全院庭审阶段以美国知识产权法学会的名义撰写的法庭之友意见陈述，其立场最终被联邦巡回法院采纳；在Calmar有限公司对Arminak & Assoc., 的诉讼中，他代表美国工业设计学会撰写了向美国最高法院要求复审令的支持请愿书。

Christopher V. Carani 先生现任国际保护知识产权协会（AIPPI美国-分会）设计产权委员会的主席。他曾是美国律师协会设计权委员会的前主席，同时也是美国知识产权法律协会（AIPLA）工业设计委员会前主席。Christopher V. Carani 先生现处于国际保护知识产权协会董事会美国董事的三年任期中。

Christopher V. Carani 先生是美国西北大学法学院知识产权法的客座教授。在加入”McAndrews”之前，Carani先生在美国伊利诺伊州北部的地区法院尊敬的 Rebecca R. Pallmeyer 法官办公司担任法官助手。Carani先生被芝加哥大学法学院授予法学博士学位。同时，Carani先生还持有马凯特大学工程科学学士学位。

Christopher V. Carani 先生执证可在美国最高法院、美国联邦巡回法院上诉法院和其他美国地区法院从事法律工作。Carani先生也是一位注册的专利律师，可在美国专利和商标局从事法律工作。Carani先生获得了行业内的无数奖项和荣誉，包括英国《知识财产管理杂志颁发的“IAM全球专利1000强”（2015年）、超级律师（2007年-2016年）以及杰出律师奖（2013年-2015年）等。

Christopher V. Carani 先生频繁地向美国有线新闻网络电视台（CNN）和彭博电视台（Bloomberg TV）贡献自己的在知识产权方面的专业知识，并经常受邀于各种媒体渠道，如《纽约时报》、《华尔街日报》、国内公用无线电台（NPR）、美国公共电视网（PBS）、美国全国广播公司财经频道（CNBC）、英国广播公司（BBC）、路透社（Reuters）、《信息周刊》、《快速公司》、《计算机世界》、《个人电脑世界》、《华盛顿邮报》、《洛杉矶时报》、《芝加哥论坛报》、《福布斯》和福克斯商业电视台（FoxBusiness TV）上发表法律见解。

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