Christine H. McCarthy is a partner in the Intellectual Property Department in Barnes & Thornburg's Washington, D.C., office. With experience working in government as well as in private and legal-services sectors, Christine's practice includes virtually all aspects of intellectual property including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, Internet law, and copyright and patent licensing.
Using her degree in electrical engineering and physics, Christine primarily concentrates on technology areas of telecommunications, wireless infrastructure and applications, software and computer-related inventions, business methods, information technology, financial services, cryptography, semiconductors, electronics, bioinformatics, optics, and internet-related and e-commerce inventions. For example, her experience with computer technologies includes firmware, motherboards, operating systems, PC hardware, TFT, LCD technology, mobile devices, mobile application technologies, networking, and protocols for IP network cameras. Using her degree-minor and extensive coursework in environmental engineering, Christine also focuses on protecting innovations in alternative energy technologies, as well as energy and power-related technologies for further improving energy generation, distribution, and consumption efficiency.
Christine's practice focuses on providing strategic counsel for newly formed or acquired companies on market-shifting or highly innovative technologies. Her experience encompasses evaluating, creating and implementing corporate IP programs, conducting IP due diligence and audits in connection with IP portfolio building and inventories, and developing and implementing aggressive patent filing strategies. Christine is also experienced at complex patent prosecution, handling patent enforcement issues including licensing and litigation; negotiating and drafting high-tech agreements relating to patents, know-how and branding; rendering opinions concerning the infringement, validity and enforceability of patents; and handling IP aspects of employment issues. Christine has particular expertise regarding intellectual property and government contracts issues, having previously worked in technology transfer with the Department of Energy and Department of Defense. She regularly counsels and represents clients interested in licensing technology to or from the United States.
Christine is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the courts of the District of Columbia and Virginia. She received her B.S. in electrical engineering (Science Option) from New Mexico State University, with minors in environmental engineering and physics. She received her J.D. from the University Of New Mexico School Of Law and received her intellectual property and licensing advanced certificates from Franklin Pierce Law Center.
Christine publishes and speaks regularly on IP-related subjects to various societies and interested business groups and authored the technical paper entitled 'Measured Surface Transfer Impedance of Ferromagnetic Pipes and Conduit," which was presented at the 1988 NEM Conference, May 1988, along with L.O. Hoeft and J.S. Hofstra. She is a member of American Intellectual Property Lawyers Association, the Society of Women Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the IEEE Women in Engineering Society, the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society, and the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology.
