Krista Contino Krahn has a wide range of experiences with many different technical areas and both litigation and transactional aspects of intellectual property law.

Technical Areas

Krista has represented clients involved in digital signal processing, computer hardware, semiconductors and semiconductor processing, mobile devices, communications protocols, databases, e-commerce applications, business methods, medical devices, automotive mechanical devices, musical instruments and design patents.

Technical Education and Experience

Krista received a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 1999. Upon graduation, she worked for Procter & Gamble as an electrical process engineer in P&G's largest North American factory. She then ran a consulting business specializing in web-based marketing and technical writing, with clients along the eastern seaboard from Boston to Tampa.

Legal Education

Krista is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, receiving her J.D. in 2007, cum laude. While in school, Krista was a Foreign Language Area Studies Fellow, receiving a full scholarship and stipend through the U.S. Department of Education. She served on the executive boards of the Journal of Law and Commerce, the Hispanic Law Student Association and the Veterans Law Society.

Legal Experience

Krista has been an associate at two nationally recognized intellectual property law firms: the Twin Cities office of Fish & Richardson and the Los Angeles office of Morrison & Foerster. The two firms provided Krista with a breadth of experiences.

Patent Prosecution

Krista has prepared and prosecuted dozens of patent applications, including utility, provisional and design patent applications. She has worked with portfolios in Asia, the Americas, Australia, Europe and through the Patent Cooperation Treaty. Krista has prepared and prosecuted nearly a dozen reexamination requests in technology areas including wireless communication protocols, and television communication systems. She has counseled clients regarding potential responses to pre-litigation communications and threat letters, and has performed due diligence search evaluations. She has also prepared opinion letters.

Intellectual Property Litigation

Krista has experience in International Trade Commission matters, handling analysis and discovery for licensing-based affirmative defenses and deposition preparation for fact and expert witnesses. She also assisted in drafting appellate briefs to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She also led a team of five to evaluate thousands of potential trade secrets. Krista has counseled clients regarding trademark litigation issues.

Trademark, Copyright & Licensing

Krista has experience in preparing and prosecuting trademarks. She has performed searches for various trademarks to assist her clients in maintaining their marks. Krista provided copyright searches and written memoranda to determine if artwork fell under the category of scenes à faire. Krista has drafted several licensing agreements, including common interest and confidentiality agreements and trademark license agreements.

Professional Associations

Krista currently serves on the board of governors for the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) as a deputy regional president. She led the roll out of the new HNBA website in 2009 and has been chair of both the Marketing and the Logistics Committees for the 2010 Annual Convention in Minnesota since late 2007.

Speaking Engagements

The New Frontier: Enforcing Rights and Protecting Intellectual Property in the Global Market, 35th HNBA Annual Convention (Sept. 2010)

Law School, 35th HNBA Annual Convention (Sept. 2010)

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Your Future: How New Technologies Can Help (or Hinder) Your Practice and Future, 34th HNBA Annual Convention (Sept. 2009)

Honors & Awards

Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association Service Award - 2009

ABA-BNA Award for Excellence In the Study of Intellectual Property Law - 2007

Foreign Language Area Studies Fellow - 2005-2006

University of Pittsburgh Dean's Scholar, 2004-2007

Carnegie Mellon Distinguished Graduate Award - 1999