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Get the smartest return on invention.

Since 2001, IPValue has provided intellectual property management done your way. With a thoughtful and fact-driven approach, we bring a wealth of knowledge to tailored relationships that help meet your business goals.

Because patent licensing and IP monetization can be critical for innovation and business growth, our topmost aim is to help you attain fair value on your terms. We have generated over $2B in IP revenue to date and delivered more to patent owners than anyone else in our industry – thanks largely to a “people first” philosophy that is honest and authentic.

We work with high-quality patents from leading, innovative organizations. Partners highly appreciate our long-term outlook, our “litigate last” philosophy, and our ability to tailor working relationships that become a perfect strategic fit. While licensing a variety of enterprise-class patent portfolios over the years, we have nurtured an expertise that our partners rely on and trust.

IPValue Management, Inc. is part of the IPValue Management Group. Click Here To Learn More

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Our working philosophy is “show, don’t tell.” We start by learning as much as we can about our partners, their industries and ecosystems, their operational drivers, and their business goals. Our carefully selected teams of technologists, attorneys, business analysts, and negotiators very often become an extension of your team.

In the end, the value that we offer comes from a deep passion for innovation. We believe that to further the inventions that improve our lives, innovators must stand on the shoulders of giants to both honor the past and brighten the future.

John Lindgren – Chief Executive Officer

John became CEO of IPValue in August 2017. Prior to joining IPValue, he spent 10 years as the President and CEO of Conversant Intellectual Property Management in Ottawa, Ontario. For the first five of those years, Conversant was a publicly traded company called MOSAID Technologies, Inc. After becoming the first publicly traded patent licensing company to be taken private, MOSAID changed its name to Conversant. Prior to joining Conversant, John enjoyed a 20-year career with Texas Instruments Incorporated in Dallas and Tokyo. He was a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel when he left the company, and his entire career there focused on patent licensing.

John holds a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and was editor-in-chief of the SMU Law Review. He earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Duke University School of Engineering. John is a member of the Texas, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark bars. He is on the Advisory Council of the Center for American and International Law.

Robert Amen – Managing Director, Vector Capital

Rob is a managing director at Vector and joined the firm in 1999. His areas of expertise include enterprise software, infrastructure software, public company investing, and corporate spinouts.

Rob sits on the board of Cambium Networks, Inc. which he spun out of Motorola Solutions in 2011, Corel Corporation, which he took private in 2010, and Idera, Inc., which he combined with Precise Software in 2013. Prior to its acquisition by Idera, Rob was also a director of Precise Software Solutions, Inc.

Prior to joining Vector, Rob was a Business Development Manager at Microsoft Corporation and a Corporate Finance Analyst in the technology practice at Montgomery Securities. While at Montgomery, he completed over 20 public and private equity financings, raising over $1.3B in capital, and advised on three M&A assignments.

Rob has an MBA with distinction from the Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts with departmental honors in History and Economics from Stanford University.

Gerry deBlasi – Board Member

Gerry joined the IPValue board in 2018. He has served in a number of executive positions at intellectual property organizations, most recently as President and CEO of Sound View Innovations, LLC. Gerry was President and CEO of Round Rock Research, LLC for the past ten years, and Executive Vice President of Licensing at IPValue prior to joining Round Rock.

Prior to IPValue, Gerry served as Vice President for Intellectual Property & Law at Agere Systems Inc. During his four-year tenure at Agere, Mr. deBlasi was responsible for all aspects of intellectual property including licensing, patent assertion, patent and trade secret litigation, and patent prosecution. Gerry joined Agere from Lucent Technologies where he held the position of Managing Corporate Counsel, IP Transactions Law group, and General Counsel of Bell Laboratories. In addition, Gerry was IP Counsel at Bell Labs in AT&T Corp. He started his legal career as an associate at Fish & Neave in New York City.

Gerry holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Manhattan College, and Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law.

John Lindgren – Chief Executive Officer

John became CEO of IPValue in August 2017. Prior to joining IPValue, he spent 10 years as the President and CEO of Conversant Intellectual Property Management in Ottawa, Ontario. For the first five of those years, Conversant was a publicly traded company called MOSAID Technologies, Inc. After becoming the first publicly traded patent licensing company to be taken private, MOSAID changed its name to Conversant. Prior to joining Conversant, John enjoyed a 20-year career with Texas Instruments Incorporated in Dallas and Tokyo. He was a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel when he left the company, and his entire career there focused on patent licensing.

John holds a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and was editor-in-chief of the SMU Law Review. He earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Duke University School of Engineering. John is a member of the Texas, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark bars. He is on the Board of Trustees of the Center for American and International Law and is a member of the board of the Ashbury College Foundation.

Keith Wilson – Executive Vice President, Partnerships and Acquisitions

Keith joined IPValue in 2002, and in 2017 was appointed to his current role running business development and a portion of the company’s businesses. He has over 25 years of experience in intellectual property law, licensing, and management. Prior to assuming his current role, Keith was Senior Vice President, Legal, and oversaw all legal operations of the company.

Prior to joining IPValue, Keith was Vice President, General and IP Counsel at Solus, a venture capital-funded technology company specializing in precision optical and electromechanical devices, where he managed the intellectual property and legal business for the firm. At Solus, Keith handled the development of the Solus IP portfolio, IP licensing litigation, corporate financing transactions, and the successful effort to sell Solus and its IP to NP Photonics.

Keith worked for over a decade for Litton Industries, a $5B technology company, in a number of technical, legal, and executive positions, including Chief IP Counsel. At Litton, Keith was instrumental in several key intellectual property licensing programs and cases, including Litton v. Honeywell, which resulted in a jury verdict of $1.2B, the largest ever in a patent infringement case for a single patent, and Stanford/Litton v. Corning, et al., which was part of a successful patent licensing program to commercialize inventions out of Stanford University. Keith handled numerous technology transfer licenses worldwide for Litton, as well as the IP issues for a dozen acquisitions and divestitures of technology companies, including the acquisition of Litton by Northrop Grumman.

Keith has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley, and a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He is a member of the California and the U.S. Patent and Trademark bars.

Jin-Ki Kim – SVP and Chief Technology Officer

Jin-Ki joined IPValue in April 2018 as Chief Technology Officer, after spending three years as CEO at Novachips, a leading provider of a broad range of flash storage processors (SSD Controller) and flash storage drives with breakthrough capacity and scalability.

Jin-Ki worked for 17 years at Conversant (formerly MOSAID) as Vice President, R&D. He also spent 12 years with Samsung Electronics in the non-volatile memory division, leading teams that developed many generations of NAND and NOR flash memory products.

A respected expert in memory technology, Jin-Ki holds more than 500 issued, published, and pending patents, including 200 U.S. patents in NAND and NOR flash memory, DRAM, embedded DRAM, CAM, specialty memory, memory systems, SSD, SSD controllers, and flash storage systems. He is the principal author and co-author of 20 papers presented to various memory societies, including the IEEE. Jin-Ki has a Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering from the University of Yonsei and an MBA from Queen’s University.

Boaz Brickman, Esq. – Senior Vice President, Legal

Boaz joined IPValue in February 2012 as Vice President, IP Counsel, and assumed his current role in 2018. Boaz came to IPValue from Alcatel-Lucent, where he held the role of Senior IP Counsel and Head, Assertion. In that role, Boaz was responsible for leading a worldwide team of attorneys who asserted and licensed Alcatel-Lucent patents. Before leading the assertion team, Boaz managed Lucent’s complex, multi-jurisdictional patent cases. Prior to joining Alcatel-Lucent, Boaz was a litigation associate and partner in the Los Angeles office of Kirkland & Ellis, where he specialized in patent litigation.

Boaz received his Juris Doctor from UCLA (Order of the Coif) and his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto. Boaz is registered to practice in the State and District courts in California, as well as before the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Michelle Kim – Chief Financial Officer

Michelle joined IPValue in May 2019. Based in California, she oversees worldwide financial operations for the company. Michelle also worked at IPValue previously from November 2006 to February 2017 as Finance Manager. 

Prior to rejoining IPValue, Michelle served as Corporate Controller at Matrixx Software, a leading provider of a digital commerce platform for large telecom companies, where she managed corporate finance, accounting & compliance for more than 10 subsidiaries worldwide.  During her time at Matrixx, she supported the company’s rapid growth in revenues, employee size, and expansion of its international footprint.  Michelle also worked at VMware, Siemens, and Tele Atlas and brings over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting for both small and large multinational corporations.  Michelle holds a BS in Accounting from Golden Gate University.

Joseph Villella, Esq. – SVP, Licensing

Joe joined IPValue in June 2016 as Senior Vice President and assumed his current role as head of licensing in 2019. He came to IPValue through the acquisition of Longitude Licensing Limited in 2016. Joe has monetised Longitude Licensing Limited’s portfolio of semiconductor and storage solution patents since its founding in 2014. Since joining IPValue, Joe has continued to monetize Longitude’s portfolios while also leading license negotiations for IPValue.

 Before joining Longitude, Joe was Vice President and Head of the Patent Department for Infineon Technologies AG and lived and worked in Munich for seven years. While at Infineon, he revamped the corporate approach to managing IP and created a licensing team that generated significant licensing income. In 2013, Infineon was named one of the 100 Most Innovative Companies by Thomson-Reuters based on a series of patent related metrics. During his time in Munich, he was active in the European Semiconductor Industry Association and is a former Chair of its IP committee. Prior to Infineon, Joe was Chief Patent Counsel for Seagate Technology in California.

 In addition to his time in the US and Europe, Joe has also had extensive experience in Asia. As Assistant General Counsel for IBM Asia-Pacific, he had total responsibility for all of IBM’s IP matters in the Asia-Pacific region.

 Joe has a JD from the George Washington University, an MSEE from Purdue University and a BSEE from the University of Notre Dame.

Carl Bilicska, Esq. – Vice President, IP Counsel

Carl joined IPValue in August 2018, bringing 17 years of Intellectual Property experience. Prior to joining IPValue, Carl was VP Licensing at TnT IP, and before that, Senior Corporate Counsel at Nokia / Alcatel-Lucent. At these companies, Carl’s work included assertion and litigation-based monetization, portfolio development, patent preparation and prosecution, invention harvesting and intake, drafting and negotiating IP agreements, technology licensing, IP strategy development, defense of third party claims, and directed research. Carl’s work covered a wide range of hardware and software technologies including: packet networking, networked cloud, IoT, wireless, USB, DSP, access technologies (cable and DSL), storage, digital/analog circuits, power systems, database systems, data analytics, media and content delivery networks, e-commerce, search, and fraud detection.

Carl is a frequent speaker at various regional and national events most recently he presented at the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Annual Meeting. Carl has also written various articles related to IP monetization including Patent Licensing: Negotiating a Reasonable Royalty, Patent Valuation: Qualitive Considerations, and Functional Claiming for Computer-Implemented Inventions.

Carl received his law degree from Rutgers University School of Law earning the Philip Kravitz Memorial Prize for graduating at the top of his class and the ABA/BNA Award for Excellence in Intellectual Property Law. He also received a Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Science degree in Computer Science from New Jersey Institute of Technology.  Carl is admitted to practice in New Jersey state and New York state as well as the USPTO.

Kaustuv Das, Esq. – Vice President, IP Counsel

Kaustuv joined IPValue in September 2022, bringing twenty years of intellectual property management and counseling experience with him. Prior to joining IPValue, Kaustuv was Chief Counsel, Intellectual Property at Intellectual Ventures. Before that Kaustuv was in private practice and in-house counsel at Micron Technology, Inc. Kaustuv has handled all aspects of patent acquisition, prosecution, and monetization; portfolio management; and patent and intellectual property litigation in a variety of technologies including telecommunications, semiconductors, wireless technologies, optics and displays, cloud computing and storage, Big Data, SaaS, IoT, Internet technologies, and aerospace.

 

Kaustuv often speaks and writes on issues related to patent and technology law and has taught patent law at Seattle University School of Law for the last ten years. Kaustuv is actively involved in initiatives directed towards increasing diversity in the bench and the bar and has served on the board of various bar associations including the King County Bar Association (of which he was the President during the 2021-2022 term), the South Asian Bar Association of Washington (which he helped found), and the Asian Bar Association of Washington. He is also very active on several subcommittees of the AIPLA. Kaustuv has been recognized by various law firms and bar associations for his contributions to public service and his pro bono efforts.

 

Kaustuv received his J.D. from the University of Washington, his Ph.D. from Caltech, and his undergraduate degree from Vassar College. He is admitted to the Washington State Bar as well as the United States Supreme Court, the USPTO, the Court of Appeals for the Federal and Ninth Circuits, and various federal district courts.

Mason Gross, Esq. – Vice President, IP Counsel

Mason joined IPValue in September of 2022 as Vice President, IP Counsel, having more than 20 years of experience in patent, trademark, and copyright prosecution and counseling, patent portfolio management, IP monetization, patent assertion and litigation, and business, employment, and consulting agreements. Prior to joining IPValue, Mason ran his own law firm, and before that was Senior Licensing Attorney at Intellectual Ventures, and Senior Associate and Associate at Dechert, Dewey Ballantine, Akin Gump, and Arnold, White & Durkee law firms. His representations have included Fortune 100 companies. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mason was a development engineer at Eastman Kodak Company in the laser printing and photocopier division.

 

Mason has practiced in a vast array of technologies, including, semiconductors, optical and wireless communications, 3D printing and additive manufacturing, fiber optic and other optical systems, computer hardware and software, display systems, electronic and electrical circuitry, electric motors, exercise equipment, medical devices, vision-correction systems, and manufacturing and control systems.

 

Mason holds a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an M.S. in Optical Engineering from the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester, an M.S. in Biophysics from the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester, and a B.S. in Physics from Stony Brook University. Mason in admitted to practice in Texas, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Federal Districts Courts of the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Alfi Guindi, Esq. – Vice President, IP Counsel

Alfi joined IPValue in June 2015 with over 12 years of experience across all aspects of intellectual property law. Prior to joining IPValue, he was the lead assertion attorney for Rockstar Consortium’s flagship licensing franchises, and a principal architect of Rockstar’s portfolio-wide strategy for monetizing Standard Essential Patents. Prior to that, Alfi held senior in-house positions at Samsung (while living in Korea) and BlackBerry, where he directed dozens of patent litigations in jurisdictions including the U.S. International Trade Commission and U.S. District Courts and Courts of Appeal, along with German, Italian, French, U.K., and Australian courts. Prior to going in-house, Alfi practiced law in New York with the litigation boutique Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan. 

Alfi is a former captain in the United States Marine Corps, and graduated law school from the University of Pennsylvania, where he also earned a Certificate in Business Policy and Management from the Wharton School. Alfi holds his undergraduate degree from Emory University.

Alfi was recognized as one of the World’s Leading IP Strategists by the industry’s leading publication, IAM, in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Matthew Hodulik, Esq. – Vice President, IP Counsel

Matt joined IPValue in April of 2019 as Vice President, IP Counsel.  Matt came to IP Value from TnT IP where he was VP Licensing and Senior Counsel.  Prior to TnT, Matt was Senior IP Counsel at Technicolor and Alcatel-Lucent/Lucent Technologies.  At these companies, Matt’s work included assertion and litigation based licensing activities, negotiating and preparing IP transactional and licensing agreements, IP strategy formulation and implementation, patent portfolio development, invention harvesting, patent preparation and prosecution as well as trademark and copyright counseling.  Matt’s work has involved a wide range of technological areas including: data networking, optical and wireless communications, semiconductor technology, USB, digital/analog circuitry, voice coding, encryption, e-commerce innovations and database systems.  Prior to these in-house counsel roles, Matt was also a Senior Intellectual Property Attorney at the Gibbons Law Firm.

Matt received his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University.  Matt is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey as well before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mark Kurisko, Esq. – Vice President, IP Counsel

Mark first joined IPValue in 2006, although Mark left IPValue from 2014 to 2020 to serve as the Vice President of Licensing at Sound View Innovations.  Overlapping with his time at IPValue and Sound View, Mark also served for several years as the litigation trustee for the Multimedia Patent Trust, a portfolio of patents developed at Bell Labs.  Mark has over 30 years of experience in intellectual property law, licensing, patent prosecution and litigation.          

 

Prior to joining IPValue, Mark worked as Corporate Counsel for nearly a decade at Lucent Technologies and its semiconductor spin-off Agere Systems.  During his time working for IPValue, Sound View, Lucent and Agere, Mark’s work included assertion and litigation-based licensing activities, patents sales, patent preparation and prosecution, portfolio development, litigation management, and negotiation and preparation of licensing agreements.  Before his time at Lucent, Mark worked at the patent law firm of Lahive & Cockfield in Boston, Massachusetts.  Mark’s work has involved several technologies, including semi-conductor processing and manufacturing equipment, composite materials, wireless communications systems such as cellular and wireless LAN, digital and analog circuitry, computer hardware, digital signal processing, distributed computing and memory management, audio coding, video compression and video streaming.

 

Mark received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and a law degree from Boston University.  Mark is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania as well as before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Richard Misiag – Vice President, Licensing

Rich joined IPValue in June 2018 as Vice President of Licensing, bringing over two decades of experience in licensing corporate patent portfolios. Prior to joining IPValue, he served as Head of Licensing at PanOptis, and as Vice President of Licensing and a board member at Conversant Intellectual Property Management. He also served as President at Verizon Patent Licensing, Vice President of Licensing at General Electric, Executive Director of Licensing at Thomson Multimedia, Director of Patent Licensing at ThinkFire, and Division Manager of IP at Lucent Technologies.

Rich holds a BSEE in Power Conversion and Digital Theory from Stevens Institute of Technology as well as an MBA in International Business from Capital University.

Gregg Murgia, Esq. – Vice President, IP Counsel

Gregg joined IPValue in February 2020 as Vice President, IP Counsel.  Gregg came to IPValue from the Chiesa Shahinian and Giantomasi (CSG) law firm where his practice focused on portfolio management, patent preparation and prosecution, and providing counsel on licensing and M&A transactions.  Before CSG, Gregg was VP Licensing & Law at TnT IP where he was engaged in all phases of assertion and litigation-based monetization activities as well as strategic portfolio development.  Prior to joining TnT IP, Gregg held various senior in-house positions in the IP business unit of Alcatel-Lucent.  During his tenure with Alcatel-Lucent, his work included managing the company's North America patent operations, leading business and technical teams in the development of licensing opportunities, assertion-based monetization activities, and patent preparation and prosecution.

 

Gregg received his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.  Gregg is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey as well as before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

George S. Park – Vice President, Business Development

George joined IPValue in July 2005. In his role as lead for business development, he is actively involved in identifying and developing relationships with major innovative enterprises to generate returns on their patent portfolios. He also manages marketing activities for the firm.

Prior to joining IPValue, George was a Managing Scientist at Exponent, a national science and engineering consulting firm, where he oversaw the Menlo Park branch of the Technology Development practice, leading technology assessment and development efforts for various government projects.  George also worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he helped to develop corporate strategy on a wide range of projects, including the identification of IP acquisition targets for an enterprise software vendor, the development of a new product line for a CE manufacturer, and the formulation of a growth strategy for a major networking vendor.

Earlier in his career, George served as a Senior Scientist for Arete Associates, where his responsibilities included management of engineering and marketing teams for a software spin off serving customers in both the entertainment and defence industries. George also served as an Analyst at the RAND Corporation, a think tank conducting policy and technology analyses, where he worked on such projects as a competitive analysis of the satellite imaging industry, a forecasting and data visualization tool for the California higher education system, and a market forecast for alternative energy vehicles.

George holds an MBA from the University of California at Los Angeles, as well as a PhD in Physics from Stanford University. During his PhD program, he also worked as a Visiting Researcher at NEC Labs in Tsukuba, Japan.

Steve H. Shin, Esq. – Vice President, IP Counsel

Steve joined IPValue in June 2008, bringing over eight years of experience primarily as a patent litigator. Prior to joining IPValue, Steve was an associate at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, and before that at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP. He started his legal career at Clifford Chance Rogers & Wells LLP. At these firms, Steve’s work included patent litigation, opinion work, client counseling, and patent prosecution. His patent litigation experience includes pre-filing diligence, discovery, claim construction, dispositive motions, trial and appeals. Steve’s work covered a wide range of technologies including biotechnology, cardiac mapping, coronary stents, genetically modified plants, graphical user interfaces, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, orthopedic implants, printing devices, surgical tools and ultrasound contract agents.

Steve received his law degree from Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He also received an undergraduate degree in economics from Dartmouth College and graduate degrees in chemistry from University of California, Los Angeles. Steve has six publications in the area of solid-state photochemistry. He is admitted to practice in New York state as well as in Federal Court in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

Brian C. Taggart – Vice President, Business Development

Brian joined IPValue in January 2006 after nine years at Intel Corporation. At Intel, he worked in various procurement, materials engineering, technology development, and customer manufacturing engineering roles. In his most recent capacity as a Customer Manufacturing Enabling Manager, Brian was responsible for leading a team working directly with the leading cellphone companies to proactively enable and integrate next-generation processors and flash memory products into customers’ handheld devices to ensure smooth adoption of Intel technologies while ensuring proper intellectual property management. 

In his earlier capacity as an Engineering Manager, Brian was responsible for a team designing and manufacturing next-generation semiconductor chip scale packages for the telecommunications industry, including processors and flash memory devices for smartphones, cellphones, and other handheld devices. Brian also spent four years in the Intel Materials organization, responsible for high-tech procurement, technology transfers, and licensing activities with vendors. Prior to joining Intel, Brian worked at a materials and surface analysis consulting company.

Brian graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and holds a Master of Arts in Industrial Administration from Purdue University. He is a licensed Patent Agent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and holds 10 U.S. patents.

Jonathan Takei, Esq. – Vice President, IP Counsel

Jon joined IPValue in March 2005, bringing more than 10 years of experience in patent and intellectual property litigation to his role. Prior to that, he was Of Counsel at Fenwick & West LLP, where he litigated and managed patent and other intellectual property cases. Previously, he was an associate at Cooley Godward LLP.

Jon has counseled clients in a range of technology industries, including semiconductors, mechanical devices, laser optics, biotechnology, fitness equipment, and medical devices. Jon’s experience encompasses all stages of litigation, from pre-filing investigations, discovery, dispositive motion practice, claim construction, trial, through appeals. His experience also extends to licensing and settlement negotiations, as well as strategic patent counseling.

Jon earned his undergraduate degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of California at Berkeley, and his law degree from Santa Clara University. He is admitted to practice in California, the Federal District Courts of the Northern and Southern Districts of California, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and Ninth Circuit, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Warren Waskiewicz – Vice President, Licensing

Warren joined IPValue in January 2015. Before coming to IPValue, Warren served as General Manager/ VP of the IP Division at Avago. At Avago, he had full P&L responsibility for all outbound patent licensing activities (~18,000 worldwide patent assets), led the licensing team, and was responsible for consistently delivering ~$100+M in annual revenue. Prior to Avago's acquisition of LSI, Warren was at LSI for several years as VP of its IP Business. While at LSI, his team executed licensing agreements which exceeded $800M over the course of six years. Previously, Warren held several positions at Agere, Lucent and AT&T Bell Laboratories, including serving as an IP Licensing Manager at Agere after its spin-out from Lucent.

Warren holds a Master's Degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and a Bachelor's Degree in Biophysics from The Pennsylvania State University.

David Wright – Vice President, Strategy

Dave joined IPValue in 2022 after 21 years at Cypress Semiconductor. At Cypress, he held a variety of technical and leadership positions, culminating in 11 years leading the IP Strategy and Monetization function which he founded. In that role he re-engineered Cypress’ patent portfolio to align with corporate and product line strategic business objectives, built several strategic patent portfolios, and launched monetization programs which contributed noticeably to the company's bottom line.

 In his earlier roles at Cypress, Dave was VP Fellow in the CTO Office, and Platform Architect for a variety of MCU and ASSP platforms and Wireless PAN and USB products, having previously led the USB Applications and System Engineering groups. Prior to joining Cypress, Dave established and led the Electronics/Firmware team at Saitek (a PC peripherals startup) and developed electronic instruments for sailboats and yachts at Raymarine.

 Dave is a prolific inventor with over 175 US patents and a licensed Patent Agent with the US Patent and Trademark Office. He holds an MSc in VLSI Design from Bournemouth University and a BSc in Electronic Engineering from Southampton University.

Andrew J. Wu, Esq. – Vice President, IP Counsel

Andrew has been a leader in the field of patent and intellectual property law for over 20 years.  Prior to joining IPValue in October 2009, Andrew was a patent litigator for over 13 years, including six years as a partner at Morgan Lewis. Before Morgan Lewis, Andrew practiced all aspects of patent and intellectual property law at Pennie & Edmonds and Sidley & Austin. As a litigator, Andrew led litigation teams in numerous patent and intellectual property cases in federal and state courts around the country as well as before the U.S. International Trade Commission and foreign courts.  At IPValue, Andrew has conducted well over a hundred patent license negotiations, leading to over $800 million in patent licensing revenue.  Andrew specializes in technology areas including electronics, communications, semiconductor processing, and light-emitting diodes, and has closed successful patent license agreements including, for example, licenses to many of the major technology companies in the software, computing, mobile phone, electronics, logic, memory, and semiconductor manufacturing industries.

Andrew received his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, where he took first place in the Nathan Burkan Competition and was an extern for United States District Judge Donald Lee. He received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Aerospace) from the University of Michigan. Before law school, he was an engineer in the naval nuclear program at Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Andrew has published articles on intellectual property law in the Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal, AIPLA Quarterly Journal, and numerous IP and trade journals.

He is admitted to practice in California, and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Vector Capital

Vector Capital is a leading global private equity firm specializing in transformational investments in established technology businesses. It identifies and pursues these complex investments in both the private and public markets. Vector actively partners with management teams to devise and execute new financial and business strategies that materially improve the competitive standing of these businesses and enhance their value for employees, customers, and shareholders. Among Vector’s notable investments are Cambium Networks, Certara, CollabNet, Corel, Gerber Scientific, IPValue Management, LANDesk Software, Niku, RAE Systems, Register.com, SafeNet, Technicolor, Teletrac, Tidel, WatchGuard Technologies, and WinZip.

Board of directors

JOHN LINDGREN

Chief Executive Officer

John became CEO of IPValue in August 2017. Prior to joining IPValue, he spent 10 years as the President and CEO of Conversant Intellectual Property Management in Ottawa, Ontario. For the first five of those years, Conversant was a publicly traded company called MOSAID Technologies, Inc. After becoming the first publicly traded patent licensing company to be taken private, MOSAID changed its name to Conversant. Prior to joining Conversant, John enjoyed a 20-year career with Texas Instruments Incorporated in Dallas and Tokyo. He was a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel when he left the company, and his entire career there focused on patent licensing. John holds a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and was editor-in-chief of the SMU Law Review. He earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Duke University School of Engineering. John is a member of the Texas, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark bars. He is on the Advisory Council of the Center for American and International Law.

ROBERT AMEN

Managing Director,  Vector Capital

Rob is a managing director at Vector and joined the firm in 1999. His areas of expertise include enterprise software, infrastructure software, public company investing, and corporate spinouts. Rob sits on the board of Cambium Networks, Inc. which he spun out of Motorola Solutions in 2011, Corel Corporation, which he took private in 2010, and Idera, Inc., which he combined with Precise Software in 2013. Prior to its acquisition by Idera, Rob was also a director of Precise Software Solutions, Inc. Prior to joining Vector, Rob was a Business Development Manager at Microsoft Corporation and a Corporate Finance Analyst in the technology practice at Montgomery Securities. While at Montgomery, he completed over 20 public and private equity financings, raising over $1.3B in capital, and advised on three M&A assignments. Rob has an MBA with distinction from the Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts with departmental honors in History and Economics from Stanford University.

GERRY DEBLASI

Board Member

Gerry joined the IPValue board in 2018. He has served in a number of executive positions at intellectual property organizations, most recently as President and CEO of Sound View Innovations, LLC. Gerry was President and CEO of Round Rock Research, LLC for the past ten years, and Executive Vice President of Licensing at IPValue prior to joining Round Rock. Prior to IPValue, Gerry served as Vice President for Intellectual Property & Law at Agere Systems Inc. During his four-year tenure at Agere, Mr. deBlasi was responsible for all aspects of intellectual property including licensing, patent assertion, patent and trade secret litigation, and patent prosecution. Gerry joined Agere from Lucent Technologies where he held the position of Managing Corporate Counsel, IP Transactions Law group, and General Counsel of Bell Laboratories. In addition, Gerry was IP Counsel at Bell Labs in AT&T Corp. He started his legal career as an associate at Fish & Neave in New York City. Gerry holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from Manhattan College, and Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law.

Management team

JOHN LINDGREN

Chief Executive Officer

John became CEO of IPValue in August 2017. Prior to joining IPValue, he spent 10 years as the President and CEO of Conversant Intellectual Property Management in Ottawa, Ontario. For the first five of those years, Conversant was a publicly traded company called MOSAID Technologies, Inc. After becoming the first publicly traded patent licensing company to be taken private, MOSAID changed its name to Conversant. Prior to joining Conversant, John enjoyed a 20-year career with Texas Instruments Incorporated in Dallas and Tokyo. He was a Vice President and Assistant General Counsel when he left the company, and his entire career there focused on patent licensing. John holds a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and was editor-in-chief of the SMU Law Review. He earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Duke University School of Engineering. John is a member of the Texas, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark bars. He is on the Board of Trustees of the Center for American and International Law and is a member of the board of the Ashbury College Foundation.

KEITH WILSON

Executive VP,  Partnerships & Acquisitions

Keith joined IPValue in 2002, and in 2017 was appointed to his current role running business development and a portion of the company’s businesses. He has over 25 years of experience in intellectual property law, licensing, and management. Prior to assuming his current role, Keith was Senior Vice President, Legal, and oversaw all legal operations of the company. Prior to joining IPValue, Keith was Vice President, General and IP Counsel at Solus, a venture capital-funded technology company specializing in precision optical and electromechanical devices, where he managed the intellectual property and legal business for the firm. At Solus, Keith handled the development of the Solus IP portfolio, IP licensing litigation, corporate financing transactions, and the successful effort to sell Solus and its IP to NP Photonics. Keith worked for over a decade for Litton Industries, a $5B technology company, in a number of technical, legal, and executive positions, including Chief IP Counsel. At Litton, Keith was instrumental in several key intellectual property licensing programs and cases, including Litton v. Honeywell, which resulted in a jury verdict of $1.2B, the largest ever in a patent infringement case for a single patent, and Stanford/Litton v. Corning, et al., which was part of a successful patent licensing program to commercialize inventions out of Stanford University. Keith handled numerous technology transfer licenses worldwide for Litton, as well as the IP issues for a dozen acquisitions and divestitures of technology companies, including the acquisition of Litton by Northrop Grumman. Keith has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley, and a law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He is a member of the California and the U.S. Patent and Trademark bars.

JIN-KI KIM

SVP and Chief Technology Officer

Jin-Ki joined IPValue in April 2018 as Chief Technology Officer, after spending three years as CEO at Novachips, a leading provider of a broad range of flash storage processors (SSD Controller) and flash storage drives with breakthrough capacity and scalability. Jin-Ki worked for 17 years at Conversant (formerly MOSAID) as Vice President, R&D. He also spent 12 years with Samsung Electronics in the non-volatile memory division, leading teams that developed many generations of NAND and NOR flash memory products. A respected expert in memory technology, Jin-Ki holds more than 500 issued, published, and pending patents, including 200 U.S. patents in NAND and NOR flash memory, DRAM, embedded DRAM, CAM, specialty memory, memory systems, SSD, SSD controllers, and flash storage systems. He is the principal author and co-author of 20 papers presented to various memory societies, including the IEEE. Jin-Ki has a Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering from the University of Yonsei and an MBA from Queen’s University.

BOAZ BRICKMAN, ESQ.

Senior VP,  Legal

Boaz joined IPValue in February 2012 as Vice President, IP Counsel, and assumed his current role in 2018. Boaz came to IPValue from Alcatel-Lucent, where he held the role of Senior IP Counsel and Head, Assertion. In that role, Boaz was responsible for leading a worldwide team of attorneys who asserted and licensed Alcatel-Lucent patents. Before leading the assertion team, Boaz managed Lucent’s complex, multi-jurisdictional patent cases. Prior to joining Alcatel-Lucent, Boaz was a litigation associate and partner in the Los Angeles office of Kirkland & Ellis, where he specialized in patent litigation. Boaz received his Juris Doctor from UCLA (Order of the Coif) and his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto. Boaz is registered to practice in the State and District courts in California, as well as before the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

MICHELLE KIM

Chief Financial Officer

Michelle joined IPValue in May 2019. Based in California, she oversees worldwide financial operations for the company. Michelle also worked at IPValue previously from November 2006 to February 2017 as Finance Manager.  Prior to rejoining IPValue, Michelle served as Corporate Controller at Matrixx Software, a leading provider of a digital commerce platform for large telecom companies, where she managed corporate finance, accounting & compliance for more than 10 subsidiaries worldwide.  During her time at Matrixx, she supported the company’s rapid growth in revenues, employee size, and expansion of its international footprint.  Michelle also worked at VMware, Siemens, and Tele Atlas and brings over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting for both small and large multinational corporations.  Michelle holds a BS in Accounting from Golden Gate University.

JOSEPH VILLELLA, ESQ.

SVP, Licensing

Joe joined IPValue in June 2016 as Senior Vice President and assumed his current role as head of licensing in 2019. He came to IPValue through the acquisition of Longitude Licensing Limited in 2016. Joe has monetised Longitude Licensing Limited’s portfolio of semiconductor and storage solution patents since its founding in 2014. Since joining IPValue, Joe has continued to monetize Longitude’s portfolios while also leading license negotiations for IPValue.  Before joining Longitude, Joe was Vice President and Head of the Patent Department for Infineon Technologies AG and lived and worked in Munich for seven years. While at Infineon, he revamped the corporate approach to managing IP and created a licensing team that generated significant licensing income. In 2013, Infineon was named one of the 100 Most Innovative Companies by Thomson-Reuters based on a series of patent related metrics. During his time in Munich, he was active in the European Semiconductor Industry Association and is a former Chair of its IP committee. Prior to Infineon, Joe was Chief Patent Counsel for Seagate Technology in California.  In addition to his time in the US and Europe, Joe has also had extensive experience in Asia. As Assistant General Counsel for IBM Asia-Pacific, he had total responsibility for all of IBM’s IP matters in the Asia-Pacific region.  Joe has a JD from the George Washington University, an MSEE from Purdue University and a BSEE from the University of Notre Dame.

Licensing executives and attorneys

CARL BILICSKA, ESQ.

VP,  IP Counsel

Carl joined IPValue in August 2018, bringing 17 years of Intellectual Property experience. Prior to joining IPValue, Carl was VP Licensing at TnT IP, and before that, Senior Corporate Counsel at Nokia / Alcatel-Lucent. At these companies, Carl’s work included assertion and litigation-based monetization, portfolio development, patent preparation and prosecution, invention harvesting and intake, drafting and negotiating IP agreements, technology licensing, IP strategy development, defense of third party claims, and directed research. Carl’s work covered a wide range of hardware and software technologies including: packet networking, networked cloud, IoT, wireless, USB, DSP, access technologies (cable and DSL), storage, digital/analog circuits, power systems, database systems, data analytics, media and content delivery networks, e-commerce, search, and fraud detection. Carl is a frequent speaker at various regional and national events most recently he presented at the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Annual Meeting. Carl has also written various articles related to IP monetization including Patent Licensing: Negotiating a Reasonable Royalty, Patent Valuation: Qualitive Considerations, and Functional Claiming for Computer-Implemented Inventions. Carl received his law degree from Rutgers University School of Law earning the Philip Kravitz Memorial Prize for graduating at the top of his class and the ABA/BNA Award for Excellence in Intellectual Property Law. He also received a Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Science degree in Computer Science from New Jersey Institute of Technology.  Carl is admitted to practice in New Jersey state and New York state as well as the USPTO.

KAUSTUV DAS, ESQ.

VP,  IP Counsel

Kaustuv joined IPValue in September 2022, bringing twenty years of intellectual property management and counseling experience with him. Prior to joining IPValue, Kaustuv was Chief Counsel, Intellectual Property at Intellectual Ventures. Before that Kaustuv was in private practice and in-house counsel at Micron Technology, Inc. Kaustuv has handled all aspects of patent acquisition, prosecution, and monetization; portfolio management; and patent and intellectual property litigation in a variety of technologies including telecommunications, semiconductors, wireless technologies, optics and displays, cloud computing and storage, Big Data, SaaS, IoT, Internet technologies, and aerospace.   Kaustuv often speaks and writes on issues related to patent and technology law and has taught patent law at Seattle University School of Law for the last ten years. Kaustuv is actively involved in initiatives directed towards increasing diversity in the bench and the bar and has served on the board of various bar associations including the King County Bar Association (of which he was the President during the 2021-2022 term), the South Asian Bar Association of Washington (which he helped found), and the Asian Bar Association of Washington. He is also very active on several subcommittees of the AIPLA. Kaustuv has been recognized by various law firms and bar associations for his contributions to public service and his pro bono efforts.   Kaustuv received his J.D. from the University of Washington, his Ph.D. from Caltech, and his undergraduate degree from Vassar College. He is admitted to the Washington State Bar as well as the United States Supreme Court, the USPTO, the Court of Appeals for the Federal and Ninth Circuits, and various federal district courts.

MASON GROSS, ESQ.

VP,  IP Counsel

Mason joined IPValue in September of 2022 as Vice President, IP Counsel, having more than 20 years of experience in patent, trademark, and copyright prosecution and counseling, patent portfolio management, IP monetization, patent assertion and litigation, and business, employment, and consulting agreements. Prior to joining IPValue, Mason ran his own law firm, and before that was Senior Licensing Attorney at Intellectual Ventures, and Senior Associate and Associate at Dechert, Dewey Ballantine, Akin Gump, and Arnold, White & Durkee law firms. His representations have included Fortune 100 companies. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mason was a development engineer at Eastman Kodak Company in the laser printing and photocopier division.   Mason has practiced in a vast array of technologies, including, semiconductors, optical and wireless communications, 3D printing and additive manufacturing, fiber optic and other optical systems, computer hardware and software, display systems, electronic and electrical circuitry, electric motors, exercise equipment, medical devices, vision-correction systems, and manufacturing and control systems.   Mason holds a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an M.S. in Optical Engineering from the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester, an M.S. in Biophysics from the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester, and a B.S. in Physics from Stony Brook University. Mason in admitted to practice in Texas, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Federal Districts Courts of the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

ALFI GUINDI, ESQ.

VP,  IP Counsel

Alfi joined IPValue in June 2015 with over 12 years of experience across all aspects of intellectual property law. Prior to joining IPValue, he was the lead assertion attorney for Rockstar Consortium’s flagship licensing franchises, and a principal architect of Rockstar’s portfolio-wide strategy for monetizing Standard Essential Patents. Prior to that, Alfi held senior in-house positions at Samsung (while living in Korea) and BlackBerry, where he directed dozens of patent litigations in jurisdictions including the U.S. International Trade Commission and U.S. District Courts and Courts of Appeal, along with German, Italian, French, U.K., and Australian courts. Prior to going in-house, Alfi practiced law in New York with the litigation boutique Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan.  Alfi is a former captain in the United States Marine Corps, and graduated law school from the University of Pennsylvania, where he also earned a Certificate in Business Policy and Management from the Wharton School. Alfi holds his undergraduate degree from Emory University. Alfi was recognized as one of the World’s Leading IP Strategists by the industry’s leading publication, IAM, in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

MATTHEW HODULIK, ESQ.

VP,  IP Counsel

Matt joined IPValue in April of 2019 as Vice President, IP Counsel.  Matt came to IP Value from TnT IP where he was VP Licensing and Senior Counsel.  Prior to TnT, Matt was Senior IP Counsel at Technicolor and Alcatel-Lucent/Lucent Technologies.  At these companies, Matt’s work included assertion and litigation based licensing activities, negotiating and preparing IP transactional and licensing agreements, IP strategy formulation and implementation, patent portfolio development, invention harvesting, patent preparation and prosecution as well as trademark and copyright counseling.  Matt’s work has involved a wide range of technological areas including: data networking, optical and wireless communications, semiconductor technology, USB, digital/analog circuitry, voice coding, encryption, e-commerce innovations and database systems.  Prior to these in-house counsel roles, Matt was also a Senior Intellectual Property Attorney at the Gibbons Law Firm. Matt received his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University.  Matt is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey as well before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

MARK KURISKO, ESQ.

VP,  IP Counsel

Mark first joined IPValue in 2006, although Mark left IPValue from 2014 to 2020 to serve as the Vice President of Licensing at Sound View Innovations.  Overlapping with his time at IPValue and Sound View, Mark also served for several years as the litigation trustee for the Multimedia Patent Trust, a portfolio of patents developed at Bell Labs.  Mark has over 30 years of experience in intellectual property law, licensing, patent prosecution and litigation.             Prior to joining IPValue, Mark worked as Corporate Counsel for nearly a decade at Lucent Technologies and its semiconductor spin-off Agere Systems.  During his time working for IPValue, Sound View, Lucent and Agere, Mark’s work included assertion and litigation-based licensing activities, patents sales, patent preparation and prosecution, portfolio development, litigation management, and negotiation and preparation of licensing agreements.  Before his time at Lucent, Mark worked at the patent law firm of Lahive & Cockfield in Boston, Massachusetts.  Mark’s work has involved several technologies, including semi-conductor processing and manufacturing equipment, composite materials, wireless communications systems such as cellular and wireless LAN, digital and analog circuitry, computer hardware, digital signal processing, distributed computing and memory management, audio coding, video compression and video streaming.   Mark received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and a law degree from Boston University.  Mark is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania as well as before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

RICHARD MISIAG

VP,  Licensing

Rich joined IPValue in June 2018 as Vice President of Licensing, bringing over two decades of experience in licensing corporate patent portfolios. Prior to joining IPValue, he served as Head of Licensing at PanOptis, and as Vice President of Licensing and a board member at Conversant Intellectual Property Management. He also served as President at Verizon Patent Licensing, Vice President of Licensing at General Electric, Executive Director of Licensing at Thomson Multimedia, Director of Patent Licensing at ThinkFire, and Division Manager of IP at Lucent Technologies. Rich holds a BSEE in Power Conversion and Digital Theory from Stevens Institute of Technology as well as an MBA in International Business from Capital University.

GREGG MURGIA, ESQ.

VP,  IP Counsel

Gregg joined IPValue in February 2020 as Vice President, IP Counsel.  Gregg came to IPValue from the Chiesa Shahinian and Giantomasi (CSG) law firm where his practice focused on portfolio management, patent preparation and prosecution, and providing counsel on licensing and M&A transactions.  Before CSG, Gregg was VP Licensing & Law at TnT IP where he was engaged in all phases of assertion and litigation-based monetization activities as well as strategic portfolio development.  Prior to joining TnT IP, Gregg held various senior in-house positions in the IP business unit of Alcatel-Lucent.  During his tenure with Alcatel-Lucent, his work included managing the company's North America patent operations, leading business and technical teams in the development of licensing opportunities, assertion-based monetization activities, and patent preparation and prosecution.   Gregg received his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law and his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.  Gregg is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey as well as before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

GEORGE S. PARK

VP,  Business Development

George joined IPValue in July 2005. In his role as lead for business development, he is actively involved in identifying and developing relationships with major innovative enterprises to generate returns on their patent portfolios. He also manages marketing activities for the firm. Prior to joining IPValue, George was a Managing Scientist at Exponent, a national science and engineering consulting firm, where he oversaw the Menlo Park branch of the Technology Development practice, leading technology assessment and development efforts for various government projects.  George also worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he helped to develop corporate strategy on a wide range of projects, including the identification of IP acquisition targets for an enterprise software vendor, the development of a new product line for a CE manufacturer, and the formulation of a growth strategy for a major networking vendor. Earlier in his career, George served as a Senior Scientist for Arete Associates, where his responsibilities included management of engineering and marketing teams for a software spin off serving customers in both the entertainment and defence industries. George also served as an Analyst at the RAND Corporation, a think tank conducting policy and technology analyses, where he worked on such projects as a competitive analysis of the satellite imaging industry, a forecasting and data visualization tool for the California higher education system, and a market forecast for alternative energy vehicles. George holds an MBA from the University of California at Los Angeles, as well as a PhD in Physics from Stanford University. During his PhD program, he also worked as a Visiting Researcher at NEC Labs in Tsukuba, Japan.

STEVE H. SHIN, ESQ.

VP,  IP Counsel

Steve joined IPValue in June 2008, bringing over eight years of experience primarily as a patent litigator. Prior to joining IPValue, Steve was an associate at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, and before that at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP. He started his legal career at Clifford Chance Rogers & Wells LLP. At these firms, Steve’s work included patent litigation, opinion work, client counseling, and patent prosecution. His patent litigation experience includes pre-filing diligence, discovery, claim construction, dispositive motions, trial and appeals. Steve’s work covered a wide range of technologies including biotechnology, cardiac mapping, coronary stents, genetically modified plants, graphical user interfaces, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, orthopedic implants, printing devices, surgical tools and ultrasound contract agents. Steve received his law degree from Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He also received an undergraduate degree in economics from Dartmouth College and graduate degrees in chemistry from University of California, Los Angeles. Steve has six publications in the area of solid-state photochemistry. He is admitted to practice in New York state as well as in Federal Court in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

BRIAN C. TAGGART

VP,  Business Development

Brian joined IPValue in January 2006 after nine years at Intel Corporation. At Intel, he worked in various procurement, materials engineering, technology development, and customer manufacturing engineering roles. In his most recent capacity as a Customer Manufacturing Enabling Manager, Brian was responsible for leading a team working directly with the leading cellphone companies to proactively enable and integrate next-generation processors and flash memory products into customers’ handheld devices to ensure smooth adoption of Intel technologies while ensuring proper intellectual property management.  In his earlier capacity as an Engineering Manager, Brian was responsible for a team designing and manufacturing next-generation semiconductor chip scale packages for the telecommunications industry, including processors and flash memory devices for smartphones, cellphones, and other handheld devices. Brian also spent four years in the Intel Materials organization, responsible for high-tech procurement, technology transfers, and licensing activities with vendors. Prior to joining Intel, Brian worked at a materials and surface analysis consulting company. Brian graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and holds a Master of Arts in Industrial Administration from Purdue University. He is a licensed Patent Agent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and holds 10 U.S. patents.

JONATHAN TAKEI, ESQ.

VP,  IP Counsel

Jon joined IPValue in March 2005, bringing more than 10 years of experience in patent and intellectual property litigation to his role. Prior to that, he was Of Counsel at Fenwick & West LLP, where he litigated and managed patent and other intellectual property cases. Previously, he was an associate at Cooley Godward LLP. Jon has counseled clients in a range of technology industries, including semiconductors, mechanical devices, laser optics, biotechnology, fitness equipment, and medical devices. Jon’s experience encompasses all stages of litigation, from pre-filing investigations, discovery, dispositive motion practice, claim construction, trial, through appeals. His experience also extends to licensing and settlement negotiations, as well as strategic patent counseling. Jon earned his undergraduate degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of California at Berkeley, and his law degree from Santa Clara University. He is admitted to practice in California, the Federal District Courts of the Northern and Southern Districts of California, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and Ninth Circuit, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

WARREN WASKIEWICZ

VP,  Licensing

Warren joined IPValue in January 2015. Before coming to IPValue, Warren served as General Manager/ VP of the IP Division at Avago. At Avago, he had full P&L responsibility for all outbound patent licensing activities (~18,000 worldwide patent assets), led the licensing team, and was responsible for consistently delivering ~$100+M in annual revenue. Prior to Avago's acquisition of LSI, Warren was at LSI for several years as VP of its IP Business. While at LSI, his team executed licensing agreements which exceeded $800M over the course of six years. Previously, Warren held several positions at Agere, Lucent and AT&T Bell Laboratories, including serving as an IP Licensing Manager at Agere after its spin-out from Lucent. Warren holds a Master's Degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and a Bachelor's Degree in Biophysics from The Pennsylvania State University.

DAVID WRIGHT

VP,  Strategy

Dave joined IPValue in 2022 after 21 years at Cypress Semiconductor. At Cypress, he held a variety of technical and leadership positions, culminating in 11 years leading the IP Strategy and Monetization function which he founded. In that role he re-engineered Cypress’ patent portfolio to align with corporate and product line strategic business objectives, built several strategic patent portfolios, and launched monetization programs which contributed noticeably to the company's bottom line.  In his earlier roles at Cypress, Dave was VP Fellow in the CTO Office, and Platform Architect for a variety of MCU and ASSP platforms and Wireless PAN and USB products, having previously led the USB Applications and System Engineering groups. Prior to joining Cypress, Dave established and led the Electronics/Firmware team at Saitek (a PC peripherals startup) and developed electronic instruments for sailboats and yachts at Raymarine.  Dave is a prolific inventor with over 175 US patents and a licensed Patent Agent with the US Patent and Trademark Office. He holds an MSc in VLSI Design from Bournemouth University and a BSc in Electronic Engineering from Southampton University.

ANDREW J. WU, ESQ.

VP,  IP Counsel

Andrew has been a leader in the field of patent and intellectual property law for over 20 years.  Prior to joining IPValue in October 2009, Andrew was a patent litigator for over 13 years, including six years as a partner at Morgan Lewis. Before Morgan Lewis, Andrew practiced all aspects of patent and intellectual property law at Pennie & Edmonds and Sidley & Austin. As a litigator, Andrew led litigation teams in numerous patent and intellectual property cases in federal and state courts around the country as well as before the U.S. International Trade Commission and foreign courts.  At IPValue, Andrew has conducted well over a hundred patent license negotiations, leading to over $800 million in patent licensing revenue.  Andrew specializes in technology areas including electronics, communications, semiconductor processing, and light-emitting diodes, and has closed successful patent license agreements including, for example, licenses to many of the major technology companies in the software, computing, mobile phone, electronics, logic, memory, and semiconductor manufacturing industries. Andrew received his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, where he took first place in the Nathan Burkan Competition and was an extern for United States District Judge Donald Lee. He received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Aerospace) from the University of Michigan. Before law school, he was an engineer in the naval nuclear program at Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Andrew has published articles on intellectual property law in the Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal, AIPLA Quarterly Journal, and numerous IP and trade journals. He is admitted to practice in California, and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Investors

VECTOR CAPITAL
Vector Capital is a leading global private equity firm specializing in transformational investments in established technology businesses. It identifies and pursues these complex investments in both the private and public markets. Vector actively partners with management teams to devise and execute new financial and business strategies that materially improve the competitive standing of these businesses and enhance their value for employees, customers, and shareholders. Among Vector’s notable investments are Cambium Networks, Certara, CollabNet, Corel, Gerber Scientific, IPValue Management, LANDesk Software, Niku, RAE Systems, Register.com, SafeNet, Technicolor, Teletrac, Tidel, WatchGuard Technologies, and WinZip.