News

Today DeWitt LLP announced attorney Christian Girtz joined the firm’s Intellectual Property & Intellectual Property Litigation practice groups.

Girtz, a partner who practices from the firm’s Minneapolis office, has extensive legal and software engineering experience, and advises clients in a wide range of areas including patent prosecution, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights. His breadth of knowledge includes working with clients on matters related to portfolio management, freedom-to-operate, inter partes review (IPR), licensing, confidentiality agreements, contract negotiations, and IP litigation. He has prosecuted U.S. patent applications in a variety of technical areas, including telecommunications, computer security, database, machine learning, blockchain, computer hardware and software, medical device, and mechanical technologies.

Additionally, his experience includes working as in-house counsel where he managed the company’s U.S. and international patent and trademark portfolios, oversaw the company’s IP enforcement including advising on patent and trademark litigation strategies, prepared trademark clearance opinions, and interfaced with business leaders and engineering teams to develop the company’s U.S. and international IP strategies, including patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright strategies. Girtz also advised on issues related to unfair trade including antidumping and countervailing duties, as well as contract matters.

Girtz earned a J.D., cum laude, from William Mitchell College of Law and a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota. He is admitted to practice in Minnesota, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), and the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota State Bar and Hennepin County Bar.