Robert C. "Chris" Bunt

Robert C. "Chris" Bunt is a seasoned patent litigator based in Tyler, Texas, known for his work in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. His practice encompasses a broad range of technologies, including secure communications, software, telecommunications, financial technology (such as check imaging), semiconductors, medical devices, and automotive connectivity. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants, demonstrating a balanced approach to patent enforcement and defense. Out of five tracked appearances, he has represented plaintiffs in three cases and defendants in two. He is frequently engaged as local counsel for national firms litigating patent matters in the Eastern District of Texas, leveraging his extensive trial experience.

Mr. Bunt is a Shareholder at Parker, Bunt & Ainsworth, P.C., a firm he joined in August 2005. The firm's practice areas include intellectual property litigation, and it was co-founded by former Federal Judge Robert M. Parker. His prior professional experience includes roles at Howard, Davis & Bunt, P.C., Howard & Davis, P.C., and Grainger, Howard, Davis & Ace.

His notable cases include representing VirnetX Inc. as co-counsel, securing a $105.75 million jury verdict against Microsoft Corporation in March 2010 for willful patent infringement related to secure communication technology. This verdict was recognized among the "Top 100 Verdicts" of 2010. Parker, Bunt & Ainsworth also served as co-counsel for VirnetX Holding Corporation in a November 2012 case against Apple Inc., which resulted in a $368 million patent infringement verdict for VirnetX. More recently, Mr. Bunt was among the attorneys for USAA in a patent infringement case against Wells Fargo Bank N.A. in Texas, which resulted in a $585 million verdict. While his firm is listed as counsel for DataTreasury Corporation, specific outcomes attributed directly to his role beyond general mentions in firm biographies were not reliably sourced. No information was found to suggest that Mr. Bunt regularly appears in PTAB or IPR proceedings.

Mr. Bunt earned his J.D. cum laude from the University of Texas School of Law in 1993, where he was on the Texas Law Review. He received his B.A. summa cum laude in Political Science from Centenary College of Louisiana in 1990. He was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1993 and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.