Overview
Chris has a passion for helping clients differentiate themselves in the marketplace of ideas and products. No client is too big or too small. Chris counsels clients from single inventors with an idea, to global Fortune 500 companies with broad patent portfolios. Chris takes a pragmatic approach, tailoring the patent strategy to the larger business needs.
As an intellectual property attorney in the Dorsey’s Denver office, Chris uses his considerable experience as a former vice president of product development and in house intellectual property counsel, and chief engineer at multiple high technology startups, and within a national laboratory to help clients build value through smart development and defense of intellectual property rights.
Patent law is a two-sided coin: prosecution – developing patent rights, and litigation – asserting or defending against assertions of those rights.
On the prosecution side of the coin Chris develops global patent strategy, drafts and prosecutes patent applications, performs patent due diligence, portfolio evaluation, whitespace evaluation, assists clients in business decisions related to third-party patents and products, opinions on non-infringement and patentability.
On the litigation side, Chris has helped – as part of a litigation team – successfully defend clients’ patent rights in post grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Chris has helped clients defend against infringement allegations and assert clients’ rights against infringers.
Chris’s areas of technical expertise include advanced autonomous robotics, artificial intelligence, life-saving medical devices, augmented reality, amusement park technology, cleantech such as hydrogen and fuel cells, consumer products, energy systems, software, and other industrial applications.
Chris is committed to pro bono legal work and has represented clients in patent work, appeals against the Department of Veterans Affairs, and is a repeat volunteer to help ensure free and fair elections remain a centerpiece of the American system of government.
Education & Admissions
University of Denver, Sturm College of Law (J.D., 2018),
- Kenneth Smith award for highest GPA, evening division
- Order of the Coif
- Intellectual property law certificate
- Academic Achievement Program tutor – Constitutional Law
- Reese Persuasive Writing Award
- Hoffman Cup mock trial competition quarterfinalist – advocate
- CU–DU Hogan-Lovells Cup quarterfinalist – witness
- CLE presenter / student member of the Colorado Intellectual Property American Inn of Court
- Merit Scholarships: Kenneth L. Smith Scholarship; Crimson & Gold Scholarship; McWilliams Scholarship; Donald Gorder Scholarship; Michael and Charlene Gustafson Scholarship (two-time recipient); Jan M. and Marjorie G. Laitos J.D. Scholarship (two-time recipient)
University of Pennsylvania (M.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2002)
Colorado School of Mines (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1997), High Scholastic Honors
Admissions
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
- Colorado
Languages
- English, French
News & Resources
Articles
News & Press Mentions
Legal Writings
See google scholar: http://goo.gl/vTKF3C
LEGAL
- Jan Laitos & Chris Ainscough, The Paralysis Paradox and the Untapped Role of Science in Solving “Big” Environmental Problems, 30.3 GEORGETOWN ENV. L. REV. 409 (2018).
- THE REGULATION OF TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND HAZARDOUS WASTES, Jan G. Laitos (2018 ed.) – student editor.
- Deepsouth Will Rise Again — The Argument in Favor of The Federal Circuit’s Holding in Promega Corp. v. Life Technologies, 12 U. WASH. J. L. & TECH. 159 (2017).
- LAW OF PROPERTY RIGHTS PROTECTION LIMITATIONS ON GOVERNMENTAL POWERS, by Jan G. Laitos (2017 ed.) – student editor.
- New Opportunities for Small-Scale Hydropower in Colorado, 20 U. DENV. WATER L. REV. 157 (2016).
- Conference Note, Water and Energy: Cooling Water Withdrawals and Long–term Pollution from Fossil Fuel Extraction and Combustion, 19 U. DENV. WATER L. REV. 125 (2015).
- Art v. Nature: The Continuing Saga of Christo’s “Over The River” Project, U. DENV. WATER L. REV. ONLINE.
- CLEs prepared/presented to The Colorado Intellectual Property American Inn of Court
- Patent inequitable conduct – Nov. 2015
- Inter Partes Review – Jan. 2017
ENGINEERING
- Sprik, S., et al. Hydrogen Station Data Collection and Analysis, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (2018).
- Sprik, S., et al., Next Generation Hydrogen Station Composite Data Products: All Stations (Retail and Non-Retail Combined), Data through Quarter 3 of 2016, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (2017).
- Kurtz, J., et al. (2016). "Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Evaluation."
- McLarty, D., et al. (2016). "Economic analysis of fuel cell installations at commercial buildings including regional pricing and complementary technologies." Energy and Buildings 113: 112-122.
- Kurtz, J., et al. (2016). Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Performance Composite Data Products: Spring 2016, NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)).
- Johnson, T. A., et al. (2016). Development of the HyStEP Device, NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)).
- Terlip, D., et al. (2015). H2FIRST Reference Station Design Task Project Deliverable 2-2, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States).
- Terlip, D., et al. (2015). "H2FIRST Hydrogen Contaminant Detector Task."
- Satyapal, S., et al. (2015). US Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Tech-to-Market Activities and National Laboratory Impact Initiatives. Meeting Abstracts, The Electrochemical Society.
- Pratt, J., et al. (2015). "H2FIRST Reference Station Design Task."
Industries & Practices
Development & Infrastructure
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceEnergy & Natural Resources
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practicePatent Prosecution & Strategy
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practice- Development & Infrastructure
- Electric Power
- Emerging Companies
- Energy & Natural Resources
- Intellectual Property
- Patent Prosecution & Strategy
- Technology
