Meet the Team
Karen Canaan
Karen has over twenty years of experience preparing and prosecuting patent applications for domestic and international clients in the biotechnology, chemical, pharmaceutical, and medical arts industries. As part of her practice, Karen advises clients on strategies for developing international patent portfolios, counsels clients on third party patent positions,assists clients in obtaining licensing agreements, and prepares patent legal opinions, including invalidity, non-infringement, and freedom-to-operate opinions.
Representative technology areas that Karen has addressed for her clients include diagnostic assays, bioinformatics, biomaterials, chemical catalysts, polymer materials, microlithographic techniques, medical devices, surgical devices, biological fluid handling devices, drug delivery systems, vaccines, ophthalmic preparations, pharmaceuticals, new chemical entities, and methods of isolating embryonic stem cells.
In addition to advising her clients on patent matters, Karen also assists her pharmaceutical clients with FDA compliance issues, including the preparation of New Drug Applications and Investigational New Drug Applications. Karen also assists her clients in trademark matters, including conducting and analyzing trademark searches and obtaining and managing domestic and international trademark portfolios.
Shortly after completing law school, Karen spent two years working at the Office of Petitions at the United States Patent and Trademark Office where she prepared petitions decisions for the Commissioner of Patents on a number of legal issues. Prior to entering law school, Karen spent seven years working in research laboratories at the Texas Medical Center and Stanford University where she prepared murine embyronic stem cells and transgenic and knockout mice.
Karen has a biochemistry undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from Whittier School of Law. She is an active member in good standing of the California Bar, an inactive member of the DC Bar, and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Karen is admitted to practice before the following courts.
U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court, Central District of California
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
David Ritchie
David has over thirty years of experience representing high technology startup companies as well as more established companies in building and managing IP portfolios and in navigating the waters of federal and state court IP litigation. David’s practice is focused on patent preparation and prosecution, IP management, and IP pre-litigation.
For patent preparation and prosecution, David focuses on patent preparation and prosecution of inventions in the electronic, radio, computer, data telecommunications and networking, optical, medical, and consumer products industries. David’s specialty is in assisting client’s in obtaining the right patents in the right countries to mesh with the client’s business vision.
For IP management, David works with clients to devise and execute cost effective strategies for IP procurement as well as to monitor, assess and respond to competitive and NPE (non-practicing entity) risk. This includes conducting validity/invalidity searches, preparing written opinions, negotiating and licensing.
For intellectual property pre-litigation and litigation, David works with clients to help them understand the risk posed by asserted and to-be asserted patents and other IP and to find ways wherever possible to mitigate that risk without resorting to expensive litigation. Where litigation is unavoidable, David works with clients to find the most effective solutions using alternative dispute resolution, licensing, and cross-complaints where helpful.
David has an undergraduate economics degree the California Institute of Technology and a law degree from the University of Southern California. He is a member in good standing of the California and Nevada Bars and is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
David is admitted to practice before the following courts.
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Veterans Claims
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
U.S. District Court, Central District of California
U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
U.S. District Court, District of Nevada
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs