Colin B. Harris

Colin B. Harris is a partner in Oblon's Patent Prosecution group, and Chair of the firm's Industrial Designs practice group. In addition to his extensive experience drafting and prosecuting design and utility patent applications, he regularly provides counseling related to securing and enforcing industrial design rights from the product development stage through pre-litigation and litigation.

Mr. Harris advises clients operating in diverse fields such as automotive and aerospace technologies, packaging (such as pods for coffee machines and adjustable pepper grinders), consumer electronics (such as home appliances, watches, telephones, televisions, and printers), traditional and renewable energy (such as solar panels and batteries), semiconductor manufacturing, and medical devices. Mr. Harris also provides client counseling, including clearance reviews, and infringement and validity opinions for utility patents.

Mr. Harris also has experience with utility and design patents in post-grant proceedings at the USPTO.

Mr. Harris is an adjunct professor at the George Mason School of Law where he teaches a course on U.S. design patent law. Mr. Harris routinely lectures at conferences and webinars on the topic of design rights in the U.S. and abroad. He also co-founded and is a regular contributor of the ProtectingDesigns.com blog, a blog on protecting and enforcing industrial design rights. Mr. Harris co-authored an article on design patent damages that appeared in the ABA's Landslide® magazine.

Education

• George Mason University School of Law (J.D.)
• University of Virginia (B.S.)
  • Mechanical Engineering

Admissions

• Virginia
• Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Supreme Court of Virginia

Professional Affiliations

• Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court
• American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), member, Industrial Designs Committee

Services

• Trademark & Designs
• U.S. Patent Procurement (Application Drafting & Prosecution)
• Counseling & Strategic Advice

Technologies

• Electronics & Software
• Heavy Industry
• Consumer Products