Karen Younkins focuses her practice on intellectual property litigation in state and federal courts and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. She has extensive experience litigating intellectual property disputes, and works closely with inventors, business teams, and in-house counsel to understand her clients’ technology, resolve intellectual property disputes, and reduce legal risks.
Ms. Younkins was a patent litigation associate at Kirkland & Ellis, LLP where she managed all aspects of litigation proceedings including drafting pleadings and motions, overseeing discovery, taking and defending depositions, preparing witnesses for trial, and trial. While at Kirkland, Ms. Younkins worked on patent cases involving diverse technologies such as consumer products, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, hardware and software, and internet applications.
Ms. Younkins also has many years of patent prosecution experience, first as a patent examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and later in private practice. She has experience managing patent and trademark portfolios, conducting due diligence investigations and freedom to operate analyses, including while serving as in-house counsel at an electric automotive company.
During law school, Ms. Younkins was a global teaching fellow for a first-year course on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. She also studied abroad at the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.
As part of Ms. Younkins’ undergraduate studies in physics, astronomy and mathematics, she studied the fractal dimension of ferrofluids in a Hele-Shaw cell when subjected to a magnetic field. She also co-authored a book on topology.
Experience
Won a motion for preliminary injunction for ClearOne Inc. in a patent infringement suit, enjoining a large, multinational competitor’s manufacture, marketing, and sale of a competing, infringing product.
Obtained favorable settlement for a leading fitness technology company – including admissions of patent validity, intentional copying and an agreement to immediately cease using its patented leaderboard technology – after prevailing on an Alice challenge and virtually every other motion. (See “Peloton, Flywheel Settle Legal Disputes Over Fitness Bike Tech,” Wall Street Journal; “Peloton, Flywheel Agree To End Patent Fight Over Bike Tech,” Law360).
Represented Pfizer in twelve inter partes review proceedings and district court litigation related to monoclonal antibodies.
Represented Oracle in district court, inter partes review, and federal circuit proceedings related to graphical user interface software.
Represented health care company in patent litigation related to microfluidic medical devices.
Represented consumer products company in patent litigation related to shaving products.
Represented oil company in multi-district litigation arising out of the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion and fire, and resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.