McAndrews Shareholder Christopher V. Carani to Present at the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada’s 87th Annual Meeting
09.25.13
The 2013 Conference Marks the First Time Design Patents have been Featured on the Event’s Program
McAndrews, Held & Malloy Shareholder Christopher V. Carani, a leading authority in the field of design law, will present at the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada’s (“IPIC”) 87th Annual Meeting in Ottawa. Carani will participate in the session titled, “The Industrial (Design) Revolution: Perspectives From Both Sides Of The Border,” on September 27, from 3:00-4:00 pm.
During the session, Carani will share strategic considerations for product design and enforcement that are drawn in part from the Apple v. Samsung case, which the Wall Street Journal named the “Patent Trial of the Century.” Carani will discuss what the verdict really meant for both companies and the technology industry overall, as well as the practical implications and repercussions of Apple’s victory. Other attorneys participating in the session include:
- Sanro Zlobec Smart & Biggar / Fetherstonhaugh (Montréal), Moderator
- François Guay Smart & Biggar / Fetherstonhaugh (Montréal), Panelist
Specifically, the session will address the following topics:
- What can we learn from Apple v. Samsung and Bodum v. Trudeau?
- Advantages and pitfalls of enforcing designs as compared with other forms of IP protection
- Dealing with the issue of functionality when analyzing validity and infringement
- Cutting-edge U.S. and Canadian prosecution techniques: a litigator’s view
The IPIC is a national association comprised of nearly 2,000 members from Canada and abroad. It is the only professional association in Canada to which nearly all patent agents, trademark agents and lawyers specializing in intellectual property belong.
Christopher V. Carani, Esq., is recognized in the United States as a leading authority in the field of design law, counseling clients on a wide range of strategic design protection and enforcement issues. He is the Chair of the American Bar Association’s Design Rights Committee, and is the past chair of the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s Committee on Industrial Designs. He has litigated numerous disputes regarding design rights and has served as a legal consultant and expert witness in design law cases in a wide-range of industries, including consumer electronics and accessories, consumer retail products, furniture, medical devices, apparel and footwear, and sporting goods, to name a few. In addition, he has authored amicus briefs for landmark U.S. design patent cases, such as Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa, Lawman Armor Corp. v. Winner Int’l LLC, Calmar, Inc. v. Arminak & Assoc. and Richardson v. Stanley Works, Inc.
Carani earned an engineering degree from Marquette University and a law degree from the University of Chicago, and went on to serve as a law clerk to the Honorable Rebecca Pallmeyer at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is a registered patent attorney and licensed to practice before the USPTO.
Carani is a frequent contributor to CNN on intellectual property law issues, and is often called upon to provide commentary to other major media outlets, including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, NPR, PBS TV, CNBC TV, BBC, Bloomberg TV, and Reuters. Away from the law, Chris is a studied jazz musician who plays upright bass on the Chicago jazz circuit.
Follow Chris (@ccarani) on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccarani.