Fingerprint Expert
for Inter Partes Review

The need

Attorneys representing a bioengineering company in an Inter Partes Review (IPR) filing against a large chemical company’s patent on anti-fingerprint coatings for touchscreen devices needed an expert with a background in chemistry and experience in the analysis of the components of fingerprints to testify on the behavior of fingerprint components on a surface. Additionally, it was possible that they would need another expert with a background in biochemistry and experience in enzyme immobilization to testify on the use of enzymes on a surface coating.

Our approach

It was clear that the client needed an expert with very specialized knowledge and experience within the science behind the patent. Deposition and testimony experience were preferred but secondary to the right background and experience. The academic qualifications could also be more expansive for a candidate with applicable experience. With the priority qualifications clearly defined, we began our search to find an expert that not only met our client’s needs, but also their preferences.

The expert

We found an expert with a PhD in biochemistry and 20 years of experience working with fingerprints. In fact, he was an expert in the biochemical composition of deposited fingerprints. His experience included working in forensics for a large metropolitan area where he led the fingerprint lab. Through his work identifying DNA in deposited fingerprints, he developed expert knowledge in the biological components of deposited fingerprints. Additionally, he was highly knowledgeable in the enzymes used on deposited fingerprints thus eliminating the need for a second expert in enzyme immobilization. Finally, he had served as a testifying expert in nine cases most of which involved biochemistry and fingerprints.