Christopher S. Crook is an intellectual property and advertising litigator and trial attorney in Venable’s Washington, DC office. His practice focuses on complex litigation in the areas of intellectual property, technology, and advertising; he regularly defends clients in lawsuits brought by competitors, consumers, and regulators in both federal and state courts.
Chris has also represented clients in alternative dispute forums, including self-regulatory proceedings before the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau (NAD), arbitrations, and mediations.
Chris’s experience covers diverse industries, including advertising and marketing, consumer products, software development, online media and services, and credit repair. His experience also includes counseling and transactional work, including advertising claims and substantiation review, anti-counterfeiting/brand management strategy and analysis, technology service agreement review, software development counseling, and technology system audits.
Chris is a member of Venable’s Advertising and Marketing Litigation Group, which has been recognized as a leading practice group by Chambers USA, Legal 500, and U.S. News. He is also a member of Venable’s Domain Names and Cyber Protection, Electronic Discovery Task Force, and Anti-Counterfeiting teams. Chris is a graduate of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s (NITA) Advanced Advocates Trial Academy.
Chris has successfully represented clients on a pro bono basis before the Social Security Administration’s Office of Disability Adjudication and Review and has litigated in D.C. Superior Court on behalf of his pro bono clients.
Experience :
- Successfully defended a TRO/PI alleging copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, computer fraud and abuse, and fraud in a bet-the-company litigation that resulted in a favorable settlement agreement for the client.
- Successfully defended allegations of breach of contract trade secret misappropriation on behalf of one of the largest poultry producers in the United States.
- Obtained a preliminary injunction against a key competitor for false advertising claims made in the consumer products industry for steam cleaning products.
- Obtained a favorable arbitration award on behalf of an online advertising firm before the American Arbitration Association, resulting in a judgment of approximately $1 million.
- Successfully defended a trademark infringement action by obtaining a favorable summary judgment ruling of non-infringement for a major construction company.
Education :
- J.D. cum laude University of Richmond School of Law 2008
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 2003
Bar Admissions : District of Columbia, Virginia
Court Admissions :
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Professional Memberships : American Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law Section.
Cost
Rate : $$$