Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2012 
Dr. Christof Karl specializes in litigation and prosecution of patents, particularly in the technical fields of computer hardware and software. He has extensive experience in multi-jurisdictional cases in the field of telecommunications, including with regard to all aspects of patent-related anti-trust law. He also advises clients on issues of licensing, employee invention law, copyright law and Internet law.
Dr. Karl represents clients in patent infringement proceedings before the German Regional Courts and the Courts of Appeal, and in patent invalidity proceedings before the European Patent Office, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, the German Federal Patent Court, and the German Federal Court of Justice. One of the main areas of his patent prosecution practice relates to the patentability of software and other computer-implemented inventions.
His clients include leading U.S. companies in the computer, computer-network, telecommunications and financial-services sectors, a major Japanese computer game manufacturer, a world market leader in tobacco articles and e-cigarettes, as well as small and medium-sized German and international companies operating in industries relating to software, electronics, laboratory equipment, car parts, sports articles, hygiene products, and food.
With his unique multiple qualifications as an attorney-at-law licensed to practice in Germany and New York, a computer scientist, and a German and European Patent Attorney, he is able to handle both the legal and technical aspects of a case. His technical knowledge is particularly valuable in patent infringement proceedings, when the technical facts need to be precisely defined and communicated. In turn, his litigation experience and international focus allow him to draft patent claims proving to be both valid and powerful in the case of enforcement, and to give strategic advice in developing and exploiting cost-effective international patent portfolios.
Memberships
He is a board member of AIPPI Germany, author of the book “Der urheberrechtliche Schutzbereich von Computerprogrammen”, as well as several other publications, and co-author of the book “Patent Law and Theory”.
Lectures & Seminars
Dr. Christof Karl teaches patent law at the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC), at the Université de Liège, and at the Center for Advanced Study and Research on Intellectual Property (CASRIP) of the George Washington School of Law. He also regularly speaks at German and international IP Conferences.
