Christopher L. Wight

Christopher Wight has practiced intellectual property law since 1984, specializing in biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, genetic diagnostic and chemical patents, and complex commercial transactions involving technology transfer. He has a broad range of legal experience in the biopharmaceutical and chemical field, and is active in preparing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications, including specialized patent prosecution matters involving administrative appeals and patent interferences before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patent practice, and patent opposition practice before the European Patent Office. Mr. Wight also conducts due diligence analyses of intellectual property assets, provides patentability, commercial clearance, and non-infringement/invalidity opinions, and counsels clients in designing around third party patents. He also assists clients negotiate and draft agreements relating to complex commercial transactions involving the protection and transfer of intellectual property assets, including agreements relating to protection of proprietary information, technology licenses, joint and sponsored research programs, strategic alliances and clinical trials.

Mr. Wight's technical experience is wide-ranging. He has handled patent matters in the fields of molecular biology, immunology, genetics, biologic therapeutics (proteins and antibodies), small-molecule therapeutics, gene therapy, molecular diagnostics, protein chemistry (protein purification and analysis, yeast two-hybrid and reverse yeast two-hybrid technologies), high-throughput screening assays, mammalian/eukaryotic cell culture and expression, microfluidics, DNA microarray analysis, environmental biotechnology (microbial water treatment & purification), bioinformatics, chemical/ pharmaceutical compositions and formulations, plastic films, bioabsorbable chemical compositions, vascular access devices, and metallurgical compositions (polycrystalline diamond, cubic boron nitride).

Mr. Wight is a veteran of the biopharmaceutical industry. An alumnus of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, where he began his professional career as an associate attorney from 1985-1988, he represented major clients in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries in matters involving intellectual property acquisition, patent due diligence, litigation and licensing.

Mr. Wight subsequently served for 14 years as a leader in the intellectual property departments of two internationally recognized biopharmaceutical companies and was responsible for developing and protecting intellectual property assets, identifying and negotiating rights to third party patents, and maximizing patent life-cycles, resulting in highly successful commercialization of various biopharmaceutical and diagnostic products.

For a period of 10 years, from 1988-1998, he served as Patent Counsel, Senior Patent Counsel and Director of Intellectual Property of Immunex Corporation (acquired by Amgen in 2002) and was responsible for the development and implementation of legal strategies to protect and acquire intellectual property assets relating to biologic drugs used to treat cancer and immune diseases. He was specifically involved in the acquisition, assertion, defense and licensing of intellectual property, as well as legal oversight of clinical research and regulatory approval/compliance, for such biologic products as LEUKINE® (granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor) and ENBREL® (TNF receptor), one of the most successful biologic drug products in the history of the biotechnology industry, with annual sales exceeding $7.4 billion.

From 1998-2002, he served as Vice President and General Counsel of Myriad Genetics, Inc., where his responsibilities included strategic development and protection of intellectual property assets relating to Myriad's genomics research, genetic testing business and proteomics initiatives, including U.S. and foreign patents and applications relating to Myriad's BRCA1/BRCA2 genetic mutation tests for evaluating predisposition to breast cancer.

From 2003-2006, Mr. Wight served as Of Counsel with the law firm of Holland & Hart.

Representative clients of Mr. Wight have included Amgen, Albion Laboratories, Axial Biotech, Bayer HealthCare, BioMicro Systems, Brigham Young University, Immunex Corporation, Intermountain Health Care, Myriad Genetics, NPS Pharmaceuticals, Nutraceutical Corporation, Siemens and the University of Utah.

• Utah Business Magazine's "2009 Utah Legal Elite"

• Preparation and prosecution of patent portfolio and strategic licensing of third party patent rights relating to anti-inflammatory biologic drug ENBREL® (TNF-R).
• Schendel v. Curtis et al., 83 F.3d 1399, 38 U.S.P.Q2d (Fed. Cir 1996) (patent interference involving U.S. Patent No. 5,073,627 for Fusion Proteins Comprising GM-CSF and IL-3, resulting in decision in favor of client).
• Ex Parte Grabstein et al. (Bd. Pat. App. & Interf.) (patent appeal, resulting in decision in favor of client).
• In re Multi-Party GM-CSF Interference (multi-party patent interference relating to biologic drug LEUKINE®, resolved by settlement).
• Kamb v. Carson (patent interference relating to MTS genes, resolved by settlement).

• "Patent Protection in China: The Chinese IP System Continues to Improve," Utah CEO, April 2010
• "Interference with Business and Economic Interests," B.Y.U. J. Legal Studies, Ch. X, 1984

• "Paradigm Shifts in the Maturing Biotechnology Company: The Challenges of Growth, Expansion, and Maturity," Utah Life Science Association, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2003
• "The 'Experimental Use' Defense to Patent Infringement: Not a Safe Harbor for University Research Activities," Colorado International Biotechnology Summit, Denver, Colorado, 2003
• "Intellectual Property Ownership Problems in Strategic Alliances: Allocating Rights to New Developments," Licensing Executive Society, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2003
• "How to Negotiate and Draft Confidentiality Agreements," T2M Technology Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2004
• "Knorr-Bremse and Legal Opinions on Patent Invalidity," Colorado International Biotechnology Summit, Denver, Colorado, 2004

• American Intellectual Property Law Association, Member
• Licensing Executive Society, Member

• Utah Business
• Amicus Briefs
• Law360.com
• Utah Business
• Law360