Krista Marie Carter

Krista Marie Carter is a patent litigation attorney with significant experience representing operating companies in complex intellectual property disputes, particularly within the electric vehicle and charging technology sectors. Her practice encompasses both defending against infringement allegations and proactively challenging patents, as evidenced by her appearances as both plaintiff and defendant in various matters. She currently serves as in-house counsel at Tesla, Inc..

Ms. Carter's recent work at Tesla, Inc. has centered on patent disputes involving electric charging systems and methods for electric vehicles. Notably, she has been involved in several appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit stemming from Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings. These include Tesla, Inc. v. Charge Fusion Technologies, LLC, which involved appeals from PTAB decisions concerning U.S. Patent Nos. 10,819,135 and 10,998,753. In one such appeal, the Federal Circuit affirmed in part, reversed in part, vacated in part, and remanded a PTAB decision regarding patent 10,819,135, while in another, it affirmed the PTAB's finding that Tesla did not prove patent 10,998,753 unpatentable. She also argued for Tesla in the Federal Circuit appeal Arsus, LLC v. Tesla, Inc., where the PTAB's decision was affirmed. Her involvement in these cases indicates a strong focus on IPR and PTAB proceedings. Ms. Carter also represents Tesla as a defendant in patent infringement suits, such as Relink US LLC v. Tesla, Inc..

Prior to her in-house role at Tesla, Ms. Carter gained experience at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, where she also represented Tesla, Inc. in patent matters. Earlier in her career, around 2011, she was associated with Dickstein Shapiro LLP, representing clients like Barnesandnoble.com LLC in patent litigation that involved stays pending patent reexamination.

Ms. Carter was admitted to the State Bar of California on June 3, 2003.