Christopher Smith

Christopher C. Smith is a distinguished intellectual property attorney at Brooks Kushman P.C., where he serves as Co-Chair of the firm's Litigation practice. His practice primarily focuses on patent litigation, representing Fortune 500 companies and startups. Mr. Smith consistently works on the defendant side, advocating for operating companies in complex patent disputes.

Mr. Smith's technology focus areas are diverse, encompassing automotive, including infotainment systems and fuel management; medical devices; internet technologies, such as content delivery networks; and telecommunications, including fiber optics and 5G standard essential patents. He also possesses expertise in software-related patent matters. Beyond litigation, his practice includes IP counseling, licensing, and the preparation of invalidity and infringement opinions.

He has been notably involved in several significant cases for Ford Motor Company. In Ethanol Boosting Systems, LLC et al. v. Ford Motor Company, Mr. Smith served as litigation counsel for Ford, successfully invalidating numerous claims through inter partes review (IPR) proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), with the Federal Circuit affirming the PTAB's decisions. He also led the team in Safe Driving Technologies, LLC v. Ford Motor Company, where Ford's IPRs resulted in 43 claims being held unpatentable, a decision he successfully argued to affirm before the Federal Circuit. Additionally, he was counsel for Ford in FMReps Consulting Enterprises, LLC v. Ford Motor Company, achieving an early dismissal of patent infringement claims based on Section 101 invalidity. His experience also includes serving as lead counsel for Ford in Versata Software v. Ford Motor Company, a multi-year litigation involving patents, trade secrets, and copyrights where damages sought were substantially reduced to nominal amounts.

Mr. Smith earned his J.D. from UCLA School of Law and holds a B.S.E. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is admitted to practice in Michigan and California and is a registered patent attorney before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, he honed his trial team experience at Kirkland and Ellis in Los Angeles.