Biography
Christopher M. Pepe is a partner in Weil’s Washington, D.C. office, and a member of the Firm’s Patent Litigation practice. He has represented clients in disputes in District Court, state court, and arbitration. He also has experience in inter partes review proceedings before the United States Patent & Trademark Office, investigations before the U.S. International Trade Commission, appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and in patent-related due diligence matters.
Christopher has experience with a wide variety of technologies, including pharmaceuticals, surgical devices, wireless communications, set-top boxes, internet advertising, messaging applications, gas turbines, mobile medical work stations, thermal imaging, and chemical coating formulations. He has been involved in all aspects of patent case management and trial preparation, including claim construction, depositions, expert discovery, and witness preparation and examination at trial.
Christopher is currently recognized as a “Rising Star” nationally for patents by Managing Intellectual Property. In 2022, the National Law Journal honored him as one of just 24 “D.C. Rising Stars” based on his ability to “develop unique practice niches, secure wins for clients, cultivate robust books of business and demonstrate strong leadership qualities.” In 2024, Lawdragon 500 named in to its “X – The Next Generation” list.
Some of Christopher’s recent representative engagements include:
- Representing Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in competitor patent litigation across multiple forums regarding Regeneron’s blockbuster drug product EYLEA, including defeating competitor’s attempt to obtain an exclusion order against Regeneron at the ITC.
- Representing Johnson & Johnson’s medical device division, Ethicon, in co-pending ITC, IPR, district court litigation, and corresponding appeals concerning cutting-edge surgical stapling technology.
- Serving as counsel for General Electric in more than 30 inter partes review proceedings before the PTAB relating to gas turbine technology.
- Serving as counsel for a major tech and consumer products company in a case involving seven patents relating to messaging technology.
- Serving as counsel for Dow in a breach of contract litigation relating to ownership of patent applications regarding polymers and coating formulations.
Christopher received his J.D., magna cum laude, from American University Washington College of Law, and was a member of the Administrative Law Review and Moot Court Honor Society. He received a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering, cum laude, from Vanderbilt University, and a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University.
Prior to attending law school, Christopher worked as a design engineer for an aircraft engine manufacturer. There, he focused on assessing the thermodynamic performance of helicopter engines in development testing, in addition to developing methods of assessing the performance of engines installed on aircraft.