Christopher Joseph Tyson

Christopher J. Tyson is a patent litigation attorney and partner at Duane Morris LLP, with over eighteen years of experience handling complex intellectual property litigation. His practice primarily focuses on patent litigation in federal courts across the country, particularly in Texas, Delaware, and California, as well as in post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

Tyson's technical background as a former U.S. Navy nuclear engineer informs his work in technology areas such as telecommunications, wireless technology, and network security. He has represented clients on both the plaintiff and defendant sides, with a recent emphasis on defending operating companies. His notable defense work includes representing Cisco Systems, Inc. in patent litigation and related PTAB proceedings against Centripetal Networks, Inc., and defending Verizon in disputes involving IoT-related patents.

A significant portion of his practice involves PTAB post-grant proceedings, where he serves as lead counsel in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. For example, he successfully challenged three patents related to network packet filtering and threat detection for Cisco Systems against Centripetal Networks, Inc., where the PTAB found the claims unpatentable, a decision later affirmed by the Federal Circuit and for which the Supreme Court denied certiorari. He has also authored publications on PTAB practice.

Tyson earned his J.D. from George Mason University School of Law in 2010, an M.S. in 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 admitted to practice in Virginia and Washington, D.C.