* Manage legal matters related to intellectual property (IP), including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets* Also manage legal matters related to data governance, including data protection and records / information management* Manage team of IP attorneys, patent agents, data governance program managers, and IP paralegals* Responsible for developing and implementing global IP strategy aligned with business priorities* Provide strategic counsel regarding the competitive IP landscape and substantive IP issues of IP law* Support IP litigation* Oversee open-source compliance program* Develop and advise on IP policies, programs, and guidelines in keeping with best practices

* Lead global IP programs and built high-performing IP team. Successfully directed IP litigation defenses, resolved complex open source / IP issues, and managed patent and other IP licensing matters* Mitigated legal risk for Ansible Lightspeed, a generative artificial intelligence service, by directing IP legal review and advising on open source compliance* Strategically mitigated existential patent risk by securing mission-critical stopping power advantage over primary patent adversaries* Drove 23% year-over-year growth in patent quantity and improved patent quality 300%* Envisioned, structured, and directed patent acquisitions program, buying hundreds of 3rd-party patents with significant stopping power* Primarily authored revisions to Red Hat Patent Promise, expanding protection from 35% to 99% of all open source software* Eliminated non-practicing entity risk from 7%+ of global patents and 16%+ of US patents as Board Member for License-on-Transfer Network* Decreased operating company risk arising from 3.7K+ licensors and 2.8M+ patents by actively participating as Open Invention Network Board alternate* Facilitated open source-friendly patent arrangement with Microsoft and skillfully drafted and negotiated related agreements.* Successfully directed defense strategies in IP disputes, avoiding alleged liabilities of $1B+ in patent disputes; implemented robust systems for evaluating threats, advising stakeholders, developing and executing strategies, efficiently engaging outside counsel and vendors, overseeing discovery, reviewing filings, and controlling spending* Favorably resolved NPE patent case by identifying and asserting novel GPL-based copyright counterclaim* Controlled and reduced $1B+ alleged indemnity liability while enhancing open source community standing by coordinating indemnity policy to address active assertions against indemnitees and community members* Strengthened efficient and targeted protection for trademarks worth $1.7B+

* Led global patent, trademark, and copyright programs and 3-paralegal team. Business unit counsel, directing open source licensing for SUSE Linux enterprise business and licensing for server and identity management businesses* Expanded protective patent portfolio by driving 81% increase in inventions despite budget constraints* Enabled sale of Novell to Attachmate by building and later extracting $450M value in patents sold to Microsoft consortium* Reduced patent risk by negotiating Microsoft patent partnership* Established patent safe zone and protector for SUSE Linux by collaborating with IBM and Red Hat to found OIN and leading initiative to buy patents to seed OIN’s offensive patent portfolio* Guided successful outcome in UNIX copyright litigation with SCO Group by leading UNIX copyright ownership strategy and formulating and registering UNIX copyright ownership claims* Solidified trademark rights and increased SUSE Linux open source community standing by authoring original Trademark Guidelines for openSUSE Linux* Enabled significant and compliant use of open source software in offerings – including use with proprietary software – by analyzing hundreds of proposed uses as Open Source Review Board member* Advanced Novell’s open source compliance interests as appointed vendor committee member for GNU General Public License version 3 drafting process with Free Software Foundation* As business unit and product counsel, successfully led legal negotiations on hundreds of inbound technology licenses* Drove customer adoption of SUSE Linux and differentiated offering from competitors by analyzing and implementing original copyright indemnification policy for SUSE Linux* Mitigated legal risks for desktop SUSE Linux by successfully managing product and IP matters for Mono and Hula open source projects as principal legal adviser

* Drafted, negotiated, and reviewed software site and enterprise license agreements; shrink-wrap agreements; OEM, reseller, and distribution agreements; software development agreements; patent license agreements; and employment, consultation, and co-development agreements* Managed firm’s patent prosecution work for Sun Microsystems* Prosecuted patents on electronic medical devices, RAID storage systems, cellular electronics, data flow management software for computer networks, and Java processors* Performed due diligence audits on patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and related licensing and litigation for corporate and licensing transactions* Opined regarding patent invalidity, non-infringement, and design-around options* Prepared and prosecuted federal trademark registrations

* Drafted and reviewed patent, trade secret, and trademark licenses* Prepared and prosecuted patents related to Java, C++, and other software technologies, semiconductor memory circuits, integrated circuit packaging, optical electronics, and electronic medical devices* Opined regarding patent invalidity and non-infringement, invention novelty, and trademark availability* Prepared and prosecuted federal trademark registrations

* Drafted and reviewed patent and trademark licenses* Prepared and prosecuted patents related to semiconductor memory circuits, integrated circuit packaging, optical electronics, electronic medical devices, DC-to-DC converters, human prosthetics, business application software, and inventory control software* Opined regarding patent invalidity and non-infringement, invention novelty, and trademark availability* Prepared and prosecuted federal trademark registrations