Christopher Kao
Chris Kao is based in Pillsbury’s San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices, where he focuses on intellectual property and complex commercial litigation. Chris is also the co-leader of Pillsbury’s Taiwan practice.
Chris is an experienced first-chair trial lawyer representing technology companies in patent, copyright, trademark and trade secrets litigation, and other high-stakes commercial disputes. He has represented companies in the computer hardware and software, semiconductor, telecommunications, biotechnology, and consumer products industries in federal and state courts throughout the country, the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
He has extensive experience litigating Covered Business Method and inter partes review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Chris also regularly advises clients on privacy and cybersecurity issues and is designated a Certified International Privacy Professional/US by the IAPP.
Chris received his B.A. from Dartmouth College, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is listed as one of the Best Lawyers in America (published by BL Rankings LLC) for Litigation – Intellectual Property, 2018-2021 and Litigation – Patent, 2021. He has also been elected to the Northern California Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters), 2016-2020.