Education
J.D., The John Marshall Law School
M.S., Illinois Institute of Technology, Electrical Engineering
B.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Electrical Engineering
Admissions
Illinois State Bar
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Practice
Chris Moreno has almost 30 years of experience in the intellectual property field. His time has been devoted largely to the art of patent preparation and prosecution, both in the U.S. and worldwide.
Having represented a wide range of clients from startups, universities and Fortune 500 companies (such as Motorola, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Toshiba, Nokia and AT&T), Chris has prepared over 500 original U.S. patent applications and prosecuted approximately 3-4 times that number of patent applications both domestically and overseas in a broad spectrum of technologies in the mechanical, electrical, software, and business method areas. He also regularly advises clients on all aspects of intellectual property portfolio development and assertions, including the preparation of patent infringement and validity studies. Chris has successfully resolved foreign oppositions and appealed adverse decisions by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (now the Patent Trial and Appeal Board) and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Chris has also assisted in patent litigation concerning steganographic techniques and sunglasses.
Throughout his career, Chris has mentored less experienced attorneys and technologists in all phases of patent preparation and prosecution, including in-house seminars for non-attorneys and legal professional presentations. Chris has also published various articles concerning legal developments in the realms of business method and software-based patents.
In his law career, Chris was a partner at general practice firm Vedder Price, worked as an associate at boutique law firm Banner & Witcoff and as in-house counsel for a medical device startup company. Prior to that, Chris worked at Motorola as a patent agent in the Law Department and as an electrical engineer specializing in digital signal processing.
Practice Areas
Patent Office Practice
Patent Drafting
Patent Prosecution
Appeals to the PTAB
Patent Litigation
District Court Litigation
Pre-litigation Diligence
Other Practices
Due Diligence
Legal Opinions and Counseling
Global Portfolio Planning and Management
Industrial Focuses
Chris has experience in the following technology areas, among others:
Automated medication delivery systems
Biometric security
Computer communication protocols
Database anonymization
Diesel engine braking systems
Document proofing/analysis systems
Fluorescent microscopy
Hydraulic turbine systems
Implantable medical devices
Linear actuators
Medical equipment
Natural language document processing
Rotational sensors
Social media analysis systems
Video/graphic processing and co-processors
Voice recognition systems
Wireless telecommunications, including mobile and infrastructure technologies
Software and business methods
Professional Recognition
Named one of the “2010 Top 100 Influentials” by HispanicBusiness magazine and was also selected by his peers for inclusion in Illinois Rising Stars 2008 and 2009 editions.
*Practice under the supervision of Virginia admitted attorneys.
Fundamentals of Patent Prosecution: A Boot Camp for Claim Drafting & Amendment Writing
Practicing Law Institute, 2012 – present
They Know It When They See It: Patentable Subject Matter After Alice
Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, Vol. 27, No. 1, January 2015
Introduction to Patent Prosecution
University of Notre Dame, Master of Science in Patent Law program, Guest Lecturer
December 2012 & 2013 (Chicago)
Now What Do I Do? Patenting Software and Business Methods in Light of Recent Federal Circuit Subject Matter Eligibility Decisions
Vedder Price Newsletter, November 2013
When Judges Collide: En Banc CAFC Fails to Clarify Law Regarding Patent Subject Matter Eligibility
Vedder Price Newsletter, May 2013
Patentability of Software-Implemented Inventions: Ineligible Method Claims Can Jeopardize Apparatus Claims As Well
Vedder Price Newsletter, August 2011
Supreme Court's Limited Decision in Bilski Leaves the Door Open for Business Method Patents
Vedder Price Newsletter, June 2010
Business Method Patents: The Bilski Case
Vedder Price Newsletter, November 2008