Christopher V. Carani is nationally recognized expert in the field of design law, which regards the protection and enforcement of product design through the use of copyrights, trade dress and design patents. He has litigated numerous disputes regarding design rights and has served as a legal consultant and expert witness in design law cases. Carani's recent publication, "The New 'Extra-Ordinary' Observer Test for Design Patent Infringement - On a Crash Course with the Supreme Court's Precedent in Gorham v. White," was selected as one of the 20 best law review articles of 2009 for inclusion in the Thompson Reuters (West) Patent Law Review 2010. The article explores the current state of design patent infringement law. Carani represented the amicus curiae American Intellectual Property Law Association ("AIPLA"), at both the petition and en banc phases, in the landmark design patent case Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa, which reshaped the law on design patents. He currently chairs the Industrial Design Committee of the AIPLA. After earning his law degree from the University of Chicago, Mr. Carani served as a law clerk to the Honorable Rebecca J. Pallmeyer. (N.D. Il.)