Attorneys at Law, Patent Attorneys

Christof  Karl

Christof Karl

Dr. iur., LL.M., Dipl.-Inform.

German Attorney-at-Law, US Attorney-at-Law, German Patent Attorney

Partner
Location München

Born 1972

karl@bardehle.de
T +49.(0)89.928 05-461

Prosecution and litigation of patents, in particular in the technical fields of computer hardware, software and telecommunications. He advises on issues of Internet Law and Copyright Law.

Christof Karl successfully defended a large network producer against alleged patent infringement before the District Court Mannheim and also conducted successful nullity proceedings against the patents-in-suit before the German Federal Patent Court and the German Federal Supreme Court. Among the clients for which he prosecutes patents is a manufacturer of mobile phones. In this context Christof Karl advises on the patentability of software and graphical user interfaces. He further advises a company specializing in control systems in questions of software licensing, in particular open source licensing.

His unusual multiple qualifications as German Attorney-at-Law, US Attorney-at-Law, computer scientist and German Patent Attorney, enable him to handle both the legal and technical aspects of a case in patent litigation. His technical knowledge is particularly valuable in patent infringement proceedings, when the technical facts have to be precisely defined and communicated. 

Recommended in:

MIP Handbook 2012

Career

1994–2002

Software developer with various companies, including iXOS Software AG, jambit GmbH, Siemens Business Services

2000–2002

Trainee at law firms in Paris, Madrid and San José, Costa Rica

2003

Attorney-at-law in the Munich office of Baker & McKenzie

2003–2007

Attorney-at-law and trainee patent attorney at Bardehle Pagenberg, Munich

2007–2008

Patent assessor

2009

German patent attorney

Since 2010

Partner at Bardehle Pagenberg, Munich

Education

1993–1999

Studied Computer Science at Munich Technical University, graduating with a “Dipl.-Inform.” degree

1996–1997

Diploma course in Computer Science at Cambridge University, UK

1996–2000

Studied Law at the University of Munich

2000

First State Examination (degree-level qualification)

2003

Second State Examination (bar admission exam), admitted as German attorney-at-law

2002–2008

Doctoral thesis at the University of Munich (subject: scope of copyright protection for software)

2007–2008

LL.M. studies in Intellectual Property Law at George Washington University (GWU), Washington DC

2009

Admitted as attorney-at-law to the New York Bar

 

Admitted to the German Bar of Patent Attorneys

2009

Awarded “Dr. iur.” (PhD) degree in Law, University of Munich

Languages

German, English, Spanish, French

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 George Washington School of Law. He regularly speaks at German and international IP Conferences.