Christopher J. Tyson

Christopher J. Tyson is a Partner at Duane Morris LLP, specializing in complex patent litigation across federal courts in jurisdictions such as Texas, Delaware, and California. His practice focuses on a range of technologies, including cybersecurity, network packet filtering, network threat detection, network management, and voice communications, drawing on his background as a former U.S. Navy nuclear engineer. Tyson’s experience spans both offensive and defensive patent litigation, including his role as a partner in Kangxi Communication Technologies (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. v. Skyworks Solutions Inc. (plaintiff-side) and lead counsel in an untitled defendant-side matter.

He possesses extensive experience in post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), where he frequently serves as lead counsel, managing cases from petition drafting through final trial hearings. Tyson is a key member of Duane Morris's PTAB practice, which has been consistently recognized for its success in representing petitioners in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings.

Notable outcomes in his career include securing a complete defense verdict for Cisco Systems, Inc. in the retrial of a $2.7 billion claim involving 11 cybersecurity patents in Centripetal Networks v. Cisco Systems, Inc. He also successfully led multiple IPR challenges for Cisco against Centripetal Networks, resulting in PTAB findings of unpatentability for patents related to network filtering and threat detection, which were affirmed by the Federal Circuit and for which the Supreme Court denied certiorari. Further PTAB successes include representing Ruckus Wireless, Inc. and NETGEAR, Inc. against ChriMar Systems, Inc. concerning network management patents, with unpatentability findings affirmed on appeal.

Admitted to practice in Virginia and Washington, D.C., Mr. Tyson earned his J.D. from George Mason University School of Law in 2010, an M. Engineering Management from Old Dominion University in 2007, and a B.S. in Ocean Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1999. He is a registered patent attorney.