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Ms. Anderson joined the firm as a partner in the Seattle office in January 2008. Ms. Anderson has extensive experience in comprehensive, strategic client counseling in all aspects of intellectual property. She has been very active in the procurement of patent assets in the computer science and ecommerce fields since 1993, and thus, is a thought leader in the intellectual property field with respect to patent subject matter eligibility.
Ms. Anderson has extensive experience in developing patent and trademark portfolios and developing patent and trademark assets for a diverse group of clients, i.e., from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Accordingly, Ms. Anderson has guided numerous clients from the earliest rounds of financing through initial public offering, and beyond. Ms. Anderson also provides patent and trademark search analysis and advice for a wide variety of products and services, including medical devices, food and beverage products and cloud computing services. She also counsels clients on patentability and infringement matters and develops comprehensive intellectual property programs for pre-litigation, licensing and enforcement purposes.
Ms. Anderson has received multiple awards and has been honored in both national and international forums for her legal accomplishments:
- Selected as a winner of Profiles In Diversity Journal's 2023 “Women Worth Watching in Leadership Award”
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for her work in Patent Law and Trademark Law (2016 - 2024) and Information Technology Law and Technology Law (2023-2024)
- Recognized by The Legal 500 "United States" for Patent Prosecution (2023)
- Ranked in the "Chambers USA Guide" for Intellectual Property in Washington State (2022-2023)
- Named in Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine's "Global Leaders" guide (2022-2023)
- Named to IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists (2021-2023) which “identifies the individuals who are leading the way in the development and implementation of strategies that maximize the value of IP portfolios”
- Named one of the "World's Leading Patent Professionals" in the Patent 1000 guide by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine (2012 - 2023) with individual recognition in both transactions and prosecution categories. In the 2023 guide, she was described as “one of the best attorneys out there and is exceptional in every way. She gives clear, business-focused and practical legal advice. Maria is responsive, efficient and her billing is always clear and fair.” In the 2021 guide, she was noted for her "finely cultivated understanding of patents and brands."
- Recognized as a Patent Star in Managing IP's "IP Stars" Guide for her outstanding intellectual property legal work (2013 - 2023)
- Named to the inaugural selection of IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders Guide (2021), which features “leading figures in the IP world drawn from in-house, private practice, service providers and beyond"
- Named in "IP Stars - Top 250 Women in IP" by Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) (2013 and 2014)
- Named as Washington Law & Politics "Rising Star", 2002-2003 (2002 Featured Rising Star)
- Named as Washington Law & Politics "Super Lawyer" (2004 - 2007)
- Named as Washington Law & Politics "Top 40 Intellectual Property Super Lawyer" (2007 and 2008)
- Recipient of King County Washington "Women Lawyers President's Award" (1997)
Co-author, "Coming to Terms (of Service) with your Organization’s Data," Knobbe Martens Firm Alert (August 2023)
Co-author, "Strategies for Obtaining Patents on AI Inventions in the U.S. and Europe," insideBIGDATA (March 2019)
Co-author, "Even Non-Obvious Patent Claims May Lack Inventive Concepts," Knobbe Martens Section 101 Blog (December 2017)
Co-author, "Effectively Developing IP Assets," Business Law Newsletter, Business Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association, Volume 37, Number 1 (Spring 2016)
Speeches & Seminars
Moderator, "Strategically and Cost-Effectively Managing Your Patent Portfolio in a New Era of USPTO Activism," 2nd Annual IP Strategy Summit, February 2016 (Seattle, WA)
Panelist, "Information Technology and Biotechnology Breakout Session: New Pieces to the Patent Puzzle," IP Impact - Silicon Valley Seminar, November 2014 (Palo Alto, CA)
Moderator, "Panel Discussion of the Supreme Court Decision in Alice v. CLS Bank," Washington State Patent Law Association (WSPLA) CLE Lunch, September 2014 (Seattle, WA)
Panelist, "Post-Grant Proceedings under the America Invents Act," Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (LAIPLA) “Washington in the West” Conference, January 2013 (Los Angeles, CA)
Panelist, "Strategic Implications of the America Invents Act," IP Impact - Silicon Valley Seminar, October 2011 (Menlo Park, CA)