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Rachel Carnaggio

Partner

555 17th Street, Suite 3200, Denver, CO 80202
1800 Broadway, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302
P 303.295.8573
OVERVIEW

Rachel brings unique value to her clients across various industries, including biotechnology, pharmaceutical, environmental, cannabis, medical device, and digital health.

She delivers sophisticated counsel to clients, helping them develop protective strategies, including creating, prosecuting, managing, and enforcing patents. Drawing on her extensive technical experience as a molecular and cellular biologist, Rachel analyzes existing patents and provides sound advice to clients considering options to pursue or defend patent infringement litigation. Rachel also advises clients on how to obtain and enforce U.S. and foreign trademarks and manage trademark portfolios.

Rachel supports companies with sophisticated technologies, including therapeutics, diagnostics, oral saline laxatives, nasal sprays, pesticides, dairy teat disinfectants, grout sealers, cosmetics, pain pumps, digital health wearables, continuous passive motion devices, lumbar spine devices, drug delivery devices, implantable devices, sleep apnea mouth devices, navigation systems, paper and plastic packaging containers, storage devices and related software applications, cushioning systems, hydroponic planter systems, low flush toilet systems, kitchenware, textiles, tools, water filtration systems, gaming controllers, emergency litter assemblies, door locking devices, software applications, water bottles, food products, breath alcohol testing devices, and COVID test strips.

EXPERIENCE

Experience

Patent Prosecution and Portfolio Management
  • Strategic patent portfolio development and management
  • Domestic and international patent preparation and prosecution
Patent Opinions and Counseling
  • Preparing and managing U.S. and international patent portfolios in a variety of technical areas
  • Patentability, freedom to operate, and non-infringement opinions
  • Product design counseling
Patent Licensing and Due Diligence
  • Licensing negotiations and strategies
  • Strategic patent acquisitions
  • Product clearances
  • IP due diligence
Trademark Prosecution and Portfolio Management
  • Strategic trademark portfolio management
  • Trademark enforcement strategies
  • Due diligence and acquisition counseling
  • Strategic trademark portfolio management
  • Trademark licensing and transactions

With ten years of experience working on molecular and cellular biology as well as genomic experiments at leading research institutions, Rachel effortlessly and efficiently communicates with inventors to help convert their inventions into patentable products.

She has litigated in state and federal courts and mediated cases involving products liability, biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences. She also served as local counsel for high profile national products liability cases in multi-district litigation.

Before joining Holland & Hart, Rachel practiced at intellectual property boutique and litigation firms.

PRACTICES

Practices

Intellectual Property
Patent Prosecution, Counseling and Opinions
Global Trademark Portfolio Management
INDUSTRIES

Industries

Cannabis
NEWS AND INSIGHTS

News

Speaking Engagements

"13th Annual Ethics in the Practice of IP Law Virtual Seminar: Mental Health & Wellness," Center for Intellectual Property, Information & Privacy Law at the University of Illinois Chicago, Panelist, June 10, 2022
"Could Your IP Go Up in Smoke?," Cannabis Higher Learning: Your Legal Roadmap, April 19, 2022
"AIPLA Women in IP Law Virtual Global Networking Event," American Intellectual Property Law Association, Organizer and Speaker, April 7, 2022
"IP in Cannabis Law," University of Colorado Boulder, Cannabis Law Course, Guest Lecturer, February 16, 2022
"Patent Law Presentation," STEMblazers, SkyView Academy, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Guest Lecturer, February 7, 2022
"USPTO Roundtable," Colorado BioScience Association, December 9, 2021
"STEMblazers Podcast," STEMblazers, Guest, September 24, 2021
"Overview of the OED's Disciplinary Enforcement Functions and the Patent Pro Bono Program," AIPLA CLE Webinar, Organizer and Moderator, August 18, 2021
"AIPLA Women in IP Law Virtual Global Networking Event," American Intellectual Property Law Association, Organizer and Speaker, May 4, 2021
"AIPLA Women in IP Law Virtual Global Networking Event," American Intellectual Property Law Association, Organizer and Moderator, September 29, 2020
"USPTO Roundtable," Colorado BioScience Association, January 30, 2020
"AIPLA Women in IP Law Global Networking Event," American Intellectual Property Law Association, Organizer and Moderator, April 4, 2019
"USPTO Practitioners Panel," Colorado BioScience Association USPTO Roundtable, Denver, Colorado, November 14, 2018
EDUCATION AND ADMISSIONS

Education

University of Denver Sturm College of Law
J.D., 2005
The Johns Hopkins University
M.S., Biotechnology, 2000
University of Maryland
B.S., Biological Sciences, 1996

Bar Admissions

District of Columbia
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Colorado
RECOGNITION

Recognition

  • American Intellectual Property Law Association, ‘Woman to Watch’ award, 2018
  • United States Patent and Trademark Office, ProBoPat Certificate of Recognition, 2018-2020
  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Intellectual Property Law, 2022
  • Colorado Super Lawyers®, Intellectual Property, 2016, 2018-2022
  • Colorado Super Lawyers® Rising Star, Intellectual Property, 2012-2015
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC AFFILIATIONS

Professional and Civic Affiliations

  • American Intellectual Property Law Association, Chair of Special Committee on Pro Bono, 2020-present; Co-Chair of Special Committee on Pro Bono, 2019-2020
  • Colorado BioScience Association, Membership Committee and Member
  • Colorado Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section, Member
  • USPTO Patent Pro Bono Patent Initiative, 2012-present
  • Second Wind Fund, Board of Directors, 2017-2020
  • Second Wind Fund, Board of Directors Recruitment Committee, 2020-present
  • STEMblazers, Girls in STEM - Denver, Board of Directors, Advisory Board, Podcaster, and Guest Lecturer on Patent Law, 2018-present
DISCLAIMER

Unless you are a current client of Holland & Hart LLP, please do not send any confidential information by email. If you are not a current client and send an email to an individual at Holland & Hart LLP, you acknowledge that we have no obligation to maintain the confidentiality of any information you submit to us, unless we have already agreed to represent you or we later agree to do so. Thus, we may represent a party adverse to you, even if the information you submit to us could be used against you in a matter, and even if you submitted it in a good faith effort to retain us.

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