Overview
Maria Anderson is an industry-recognized intellectual property attorney at Knobbe Martens, where she co-founded the firm’s Seattle office. With over 30 years of experience, she has cultivated a practice advising companies at the forefront of technology and innovation, while consistently seeking opportunities to break down barriers for underrepresented groups in the intellectual property space.
Ms. Anderson develops patent and trademark portfolios for a diverse group of clients, from individual inventors to Fortune 5 companies. She has guided innovative clients from the earliest rounds of financing through initial public offering and beyond. Ms. Anderson’s practice spans a wide variety of industries, including consumer electronics, medical devices, food and beverage products, Internet technologies, and AI. Further, she counsels clients on patentability and infringement matters, and develops comprehensive intellectual property programs for pre-litigation, licensing and enforcement/defense purposes. In addition to her patent expertise, Ms. Anderson is adept at handling trademark matters, including registration, enforcement, and litigation. She has a keen eye for brand protection and has helped numerous clients establish and defend their trademarks in competitive markets.
Ms. Anderson holds a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law and a B.S. in Mathematics with a Computer Science Concentration, which provides her with a unique perspective and a solid foundation in understanding the technical aspects of her clients’ innovations. She is also an active member of various professional organizations and frequently speaks at industry conferences, sharing her knowledge and insights on IP law trends and best practices.
In her role at Knobbe Martens, Ms. Anderson continues to contribute to the firm’s legacy of excellence in IP law, mentoring junior attorneys and staying at the forefront of legal developments to provide the highest level of service to her clients.
Education
- University of Texas - Austin (J.D., 1993)
- University of Washington (UW) (B.S. Mathematics, 1990), with Honors and Distinction, with Computer Science Concentration
Recognition
Awards & Honors
Ms. Anderson has received multiple awards and has been honored in both national and international forums for her legal accomplishments:
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Recognized in the “Best Lawyers 2025 Guide” for Information Technology Law, Patent Law, Technology Law, and Trademark Law in Best Lawyers in America (2024)
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Recognized for outstanding work in patent law in the 2024 edition of the Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) “Patent 1000 Guide” for Prosecution and Transaction (2024)
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Recognized in the “Chambers USA Guide” for Intellectual Property in Washington State IP (2022-2024)
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Recognized by The Legal 500 “United States” for Patent Prosecution (2023-2024)
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Recognized as a Patent Star in Managing IP’s “2024 IP STARS” (2024)
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Recognized as a Patent Star in Managing IP‘s “IP Stars” Guide for her outstanding intellectual property legal work (2013 – 2024)
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Selected as a winner of Profiles In Diversity Journal’s 2023 “Women Worth Watching in Leadership Award”
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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)
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Named in Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine’s “Global Leaders” guide (2022-2023)
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Named to IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists (2021-2024) which “identifies the individuals who are leading the way in the development and implementation of strategies that maximize the value of IP portfolios”
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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.“
- 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)
Affilliations
American Intellectual Property Law Association
King County Washington Women Lawyers
King County Bar Association
Washington State Patent Lawyers Association
ChIPs
News & Insights
Articles
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
June 2024: Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) MCLE Seminar; Panelist, “Protecting Intellectual Property in Supply Chains”
May 2024: California Lawyers Association MCLE Webinar; Speaker, “Key Risks of Using Open Source”
May 2024: American Intellectual Property Law Association’s Women Entrepreneur Mentoring Program Webinar; Speaker, “Patents and Trade Secrets”
January 2024: Association of Corporate Counsel’s SoCal In-House Counsel Conference; Speaker, “Mitigating IP Risks When Adopting Open Source”
October 2023: ChIPs PNW Chapter – Portland Area Kickoff Event, Organizer and Co-Host, “IP and Generative AI”
June 2023: LOT Network Bridge Webinar; Panelist “Intellectual Property Considerations of Web 3.0”
April 2023: Amazon World IP Day Panel; Panelist, “Women in IP”
February 2023: ChIPs PNW Chapter Webinar and In-Person Program; Organizer and Co-Host: “Executive Presence in the Workplace”
February 2023: Orange County Intellectual Property Association Monthly Meeting; Panelist, “Trademark Considerations in the Healthcare Field”
September 2022: LOT Network Bridge Conference; Panelist, “Best Practices for DE&I in the Legal Industry”
June 2022: Strafford MCLE Webinar, Panelist, “Patent Infringement: Structuring Opinions of Counsel”
April 2022: ChIPs Subcommittee for Social Justice Webinar, Organizer and Co-Host, “The Intersectionality of Voting Security and Justice.”
October 2021: ChIPs PNW Chapter Webinar, Host, “Fireside Chat with Eileen Zimmerman” (author of “Smacked,” a memoir about loved one’s drug addiction while working as an IP attorney)
September 2021: LOT Network Bridge Conference; Panelist, (Willful Infringement Post-Halo)
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)