Derek Minihane is currently Head of IP Strategy at Cochlear, Ltd., the leading global provider of
implantable hearing solutions, and based in Sydney, Australia. At Cochlear he is in charge of
setting and implementing their intellectual property strategy related to procuring IP rights, third
parties IP issues, in and out licensing, and all related IP matters. He was previously Vice President
of Intellectual Property at Intermolecular, Inc. where he was in charge of all aspects of intellectual
property and licensing for the company and Senior Director and Assistant General Counsel,
Intellectual Property Law for Altera Corporation where he led a team of attorneys in building Altera’s
patent portfolio, defining Altera’s IP litigation and third party IP strategy, and advising management
on related IP issues.
Mr. Minihane was a member of the Board of Directors for the IPO Educational Foundation from 2006-
2009 and was co-chair of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) IP Law Subcommittee from
2005-2006. In addition to his extensive experience as in-house counsel, Mr. Minihane gained
significant litigation and prosecution experience while at Fish & Neave and at Curtis, Morris &
Safford. Mr. Minihane holds a B.S.E.E from Cornell University and a J.D. from the George
Washington University National Law Center. He is a member of the state bars of Massachusetts,
New York and California. He is also a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office.
implantable hearing solutions, and based in Sydney, Australia. At Cochlear he is in charge of
setting and implementing their intellectual property strategy related to procuring IP rights, third
parties IP issues, in and out licensing, and all related IP matters. He was previously Vice President
of Intellectual Property at Intermolecular, Inc. where he was in charge of all aspects of intellectual
property and licensing for the company and Senior Director and Assistant General Counsel,
Intellectual Property Law for Altera Corporation where he led a team of attorneys in building Altera’s
patent portfolio, defining Altera’s IP litigation and third party IP strategy, and advising management
on related IP issues.
Mr. Minihane was a member of the Board of Directors for the IPO Educational Foundation from 2006-
2009 and was co-chair of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) IP Law Subcommittee from
2005-2006. In addition to his extensive experience as in-house counsel, Mr. Minihane gained
significant litigation and prosecution experience while at Fish & Neave and at Curtis, Morris &
Safford. Mr. Minihane holds a B.S.E.E from Cornell University and a J.D. from the George
Washington University National Law Center. He is a member of the state bars of Massachusetts,
New York and California. He is also a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office.
DEREK MINIHANE
Head of IP Strategy
Cochlear, Ltd.
Head of IP Strategy
Cochlear, Ltd.
DOUGLAS B. LUFTMAN
Vice President & Chief Patent Counsel
CBS Interactive
Vice President & Chief Patent Counsel
CBS Interactive
Joseph FitzGerald is Senior Vice President, Legal and Deputy General Counsel. In his role, Mr.
FitzGerald is responsible for providing legal support to Symantec’s enterprise business teams as
well as overseeing Symantec’s world-wide Intellectual Property program (protection as well as
enforcement). Mr. FitzGerald also oversees Symantec’s global anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting
efforts, and is actively involved in the strategic acquisition of intellectual property assets, as well as the
Company’s M&A activities.
Prior to joining Symantec, Mr. FitzGerald was director of the Hardware & Systems Patent Group at Sun
Microsystems where he was responsible for patent licensing, litigation, enforcement and prosecution
on a global basis for Sun's server, storage, network product and microelectronics Groups. Before
joining Sun, Mr. FitzGerald was the first U.S. patent counsel for Nikon Research Corporation of
America, and was in private practice before that where he litigated and prosecuted patents in the
electronic, software and computer fields. Before becoming an attorney, Mr. FitzGerald was Patent
Examiner with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office where he examined patent applications related to
general and special purpose digital computers, including both hardware and software.
FitzGerald is responsible for providing legal support to Symantec’s enterprise business teams as
well as overseeing Symantec’s world-wide Intellectual Property program (protection as well as
enforcement). Mr. FitzGerald also oversees Symantec’s global anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting
efforts, and is actively involved in the strategic acquisition of intellectual property assets, as well as the
Company’s M&A activities.
Prior to joining Symantec, Mr. FitzGerald was director of the Hardware & Systems Patent Group at Sun
Microsystems where he was responsible for patent licensing, litigation, enforcement and prosecution
on a global basis for Sun's server, storage, network product and microelectronics Groups. Before
joining Sun, Mr. FitzGerald was the first U.S. patent counsel for Nikon Research Corporation of
America, and was in private practice before that where he litigated and prosecuted patents in the
electronic, software and computer fields. Before becoming an attorney, Mr. FitzGerald was Patent
Examiner with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office where he examined patent applications related to
general and special purpose digital computers, including both hardware and software.
JOSEPH FITZGERALD
Senior Vice President, Legal and Deputy General Counsel
Symantec Corporation
Senior Vice President, Legal and Deputy General Counsel
Symantec Corporation
Douglas Luftman is Vice President & Chief Patent Counsel at CBS Interactive. He was previously
Chief IP Counsel at Palm, Inc. in Sunnyvale, California.
Mr. Luftman’s areas of focus include strategic intellectual property counseling, patent portfolio
development, intellectual property assertion and licensing strategy, IP asset acquisitions, standards
development strategy, IP and technology licensing and open source management strategy. Prior to
joining Palm, Mr. Luftman’s roles have included Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of
Caspian Networks, Inc., West Coast Counsel of CIENA Corporation and Senior Intellectual Property
Counsel for Intel Corporation’s Communications Group. Prior to working in-house, Mr. Luftman was
an attorney at Fenwick & West LLP in Palo Alto, CA.
Mr. Luftman received his Juris Doctorate degree with honors from the George Washington University
Law School, Washington DC, where he was Technical Editor of the Law Review and externed for
The Honorable Randall R Rader of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr.
Luftman received his Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
He has spoken at a variety of forums including professional trade organizations as well as a guest
lecturer at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and the University of California,
Berkeley School of Law – Boalt Hall on topics relating to IP strategy for high technology companies.
Chief IP Counsel at Palm, Inc. in Sunnyvale, California.
Mr. Luftman’s areas of focus include strategic intellectual property counseling, patent portfolio
development, intellectual property assertion and licensing strategy, IP asset acquisitions, standards
development strategy, IP and technology licensing and open source management strategy. Prior to
joining Palm, Mr. Luftman’s roles have included Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of
Caspian Networks, Inc., West Coast Counsel of CIENA Corporation and Senior Intellectual Property
Counsel for Intel Corporation’s Communications Group. Prior to working in-house, Mr. Luftman was
an attorney at Fenwick & West LLP in Palo Alto, CA.
Mr. Luftman received his Juris Doctorate degree with honors from the George Washington University
Law School, Washington DC, where he was Technical Editor of the Law Review and externed for
The Honorable Randall R Rader of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr.
Luftman received his Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of
California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
He has spoken at a variety of forums including professional trade organizations as well as a guest
lecturer at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and the University of California,
Berkeley School of Law – Boalt Hall on topics relating to IP strategy for high technology companies.
MICHELLE K. LEE
Deputy General Counsel
Google Inc.
Deputy General Counsel
Google Inc.
Karineh Khachatourian is Advisory Board member of Forum of Women Executives, Silicon Valley.
WIPLA goals are to: promote the honor of women in the intellectual property legal profession;
encourage cordial relations with the intellectual property legal profession; and inform the community
about the women in the intellectual property legal profession.
Ms.Khachatourian is also a Partner at K&L Gates.
Ms. Khachatourian received her B.A. magna cum laude from New York University, Phi Kappa and her
J.D. from the George Washington University National Law Center. She is admitted to practice in all the
federal and state courts in California and Massachusetts.
WIPLA goals are to: promote the honor of women in the intellectual property legal profession;
encourage cordial relations with the intellectual property legal profession; and inform the community
about the women in the intellectual property legal profession.
Ms.Khachatourian is also a Partner at K&L Gates.
Ms. Khachatourian received her B.A. magna cum laude from New York University, Phi Kappa and her
J.D. from the George Washington University National Law Center. She is admitted to practice in all the
federal and state courts in California and Massachusetts.
KARINEH KHACHATOURIAN
Advisory Board, Forum of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs
Partner
K&L Gates
Advisory Board, Forum of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs
Partner
K&L Gates
ALLEN LO
Vice President of Intellectual Property
Juniper Networks, Inc.
Vice President of Intellectual Property
Juniper Networks, Inc.
LISA MCFALL
Founder & Managing Director
Ovidian Group
Founder & Managing Director
Ovidian Group
MALLUN YEN
Vice President, Worldwide Intellectual Property
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Vice President, Worldwide Intellectual Property
Cisco Systems, Inc.
BILL BECKER
Senior Director of Intellectual Property
Align Technology, Inc.
Senior Director of Intellectual Property
Align Technology, Inc.
Bill Becker is currently the Senior Director of Intellectual Property for Align Technology, Inc. in Santa
Clara, CA with responsibility for intellectual property development, strategy, litigation, licensing and
other IP transactional matters, primarily with respect to patents, trade secrets and other intellectual
property. Align is a medical device company engaged in the design, manufacture and marketing of
Invisalign® aligners, the world's leading invisible orthodontic product, and one of the world’s largest
manufacturers of mass customized products.
Mr. Becker was formerly Deputy General Counsel - Intellectual Property for 3Com Corporation in
Santa Clara, CA with primary responsibility for all the intellectual property strategy programs, as well
as transactions of 3Com and its subsidiaries worldwide.
Prior to this, he was the Associate General Counsel and Intellectual Property Counsel of VLSI
Technology, Inc. in San Jose, CA with primary worldwide responsibility for all of its intellectual
property, employment, environmental, and commercial legal matters.
Bill has also been the Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel of Bourns, Inc. in Riverside, CA and a
patent attorney for General Electric.
He is currently a co-chair of the IP committee of the San Francisco Area chapter of the Association of
Corporate Counsel (ACC) and is co-program chair of the IP/IT committee of ACC National. A
graduate of George Washington University Law School and Carnegie Mellon University, he is a
member of the bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, California, and the District of Columbia. He is also
registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and has received formal
training in mediation.
Clara, CA with responsibility for intellectual property development, strategy, litigation, licensing and
other IP transactional matters, primarily with respect to patents, trade secrets and other intellectual
property. Align is a medical device company engaged in the design, manufacture and marketing of
Invisalign® aligners, the world's leading invisible orthodontic product, and one of the world’s largest
manufacturers of mass customized products.
Mr. Becker was formerly Deputy General Counsel - Intellectual Property for 3Com Corporation in
Santa Clara, CA with primary responsibility for all the intellectual property strategy programs, as well
as transactions of 3Com and its subsidiaries worldwide.
Prior to this, he was the Associate General Counsel and Intellectual Property Counsel of VLSI
Technology, Inc. in San Jose, CA with primary worldwide responsibility for all of its intellectual
property, employment, environmental, and commercial legal matters.
Bill has also been the Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel of Bourns, Inc. in Riverside, CA and a
patent attorney for General Electric.
He is currently a co-chair of the IP committee of the San Francisco Area chapter of the Association of
Corporate Counsel (ACC) and is co-program chair of the IP/IT committee of ACC National. A
graduate of George Washington University Law School and Carnegie Mellon University, he is a
member of the bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, California, and the District of Columbia. He is also
registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and has received formal
training in mediation.
Michelle K. Lee is Deputy General Counsel at Google Inc., a leading provider of internet search
services. She was previously Associate General Counsel and Head of Patents and Patent Strategy.
Prior to joining Google, Ms. Lee was a partner in the Patent, Licensing and Intellectual Property
groups at the law firm of Fenwick & West LLP in Silicon Valley.
Ms. Lee received a master of science degree in computer science and a bachelor of science degree
in electrical engineering, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she graduated
at the top of her class. At MIT, she was awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation
Fellowship for graduate studies in Computer Science. Ms. Lee received her law degree from Stanford
Law School and was editor of the Stanford Law Review.
Prior to attending law school, Ms. Lee worked as a computer science researcher at the Hewlett
Packard Company and the M.I.T. Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Upon graduating from law school,
Ms. Lee clerked for (now Chief) Judge Vaughn R. Walker on the U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of California, where she worked on the precedent setting copyright infringement case of Apple
v. Microsoft. Thereafter, Ms. Lee clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in
Washington, D.C. for (now Chief) Judge Paul R. Michel.
Ms. Lee is a registered patent attorney and speaks frequently on the topics of intellectual property law
and high technology.
services. She was previously Associate General Counsel and Head of Patents and Patent Strategy.
Prior to joining Google, Ms. Lee was a partner in the Patent, Licensing and Intellectual Property
groups at the law firm of Fenwick & West LLP in Silicon Valley.
Ms. Lee received a master of science degree in computer science and a bachelor of science degree
in electrical engineering, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she graduated
at the top of her class. At MIT, she was awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation
Fellowship for graduate studies in Computer Science. Ms. Lee received her law degree from Stanford
Law School and was editor of the Stanford Law Review.
Prior to attending law school, Ms. Lee worked as a computer science researcher at the Hewlett
Packard Company and the M.I.T. Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Upon graduating from law school,
Ms. Lee clerked for (now Chief) Judge Vaughn R. Walker on the U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of California, where she worked on the precedent setting copyright infringement case of Apple
v. Microsoft. Thereafter, Ms. Lee clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in
Washington, D.C. for (now Chief) Judge Paul R. Michel.
Ms. Lee is a registered patent attorney and speaks frequently on the topics of intellectual property law
and high technology.
STEPHANA E. PATTON, Ph.D.
Associate General Counsel, Intellectual Property & Licensing
Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Associate General Counsel, Intellectual Property & Licensing
Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Stephana Patton is the Associate General Counsel, Intellectual Property & Licensing for Salix
Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. She focuses on portfolio development, pharmaceutical life-cycle
management, management of IP litigation and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications. Ms.
Patton also counsels Salix on general intellectual property matters, including preparation of
patentability, infringement, validity, and freedom-to-operate opinions. A portion of her time is also
devoted to U.S. trademark portfolio management.
Ms. Patton received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology from Emory University
for work related to the elucidation of the Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein. She also has a B.S. in
Chemistry from Erskine College and a J.D. from Boston University . Stephana is the chair of the
Pharmaceutical Issues Committee for IPO and was formerly the Vice-Chair for the Genetic
Resources and Traditional Knowledge Committee.
Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. She focuses on portfolio development, pharmaceutical life-cycle
management, management of IP litigation and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications. Ms.
Patton also counsels Salix on general intellectual property matters, including preparation of
patentability, infringement, validity, and freedom-to-operate opinions. A portion of her time is also
devoted to U.S. trademark portfolio management.
Ms. Patton received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology from Emory University
for work related to the elucidation of the Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein. She also has a B.S. in
Chemistry from Erskine College and a J.D. from Boston University . Stephana is the chair of the
Pharmaceutical Issues Committee for IPO and was formerly the Vice-Chair for the Genetic
Resources and Traditional Knowledge Committee.
Allen Lo is Vice President of Intellectual Property at Juniper Networks, Inc. Mr. Lo is responsible for
providing legal support to all of Juniper’s technology and business groups. This responsibility
includes development of the company’s patent and trademark portfolio, responsible for providing
legal support on employment matters for the company. Juniper Networks manufactures networking
equipment with nearly $4B in annual revenue.
Mr. Lo previously worked as an attorney at the law firm of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett &
Dunner, and as a patent examiner in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington D.C. He
also served as a judicial law clerk for Chief Magistrate Judge Infante of the U.S. District Court,
Northern District of California and has taught patent law courses as an adjust professor at the Boalt
Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley.
Mr. Lo obtained his J.D. degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and a B.S. in Electrical
Engineering from The Ohio State University.
providing legal support to all of Juniper’s technology and business groups. This responsibility
includes development of the company’s patent and trademark portfolio, responsible for providing
legal support on employment matters for the company. Juniper Networks manufactures networking
equipment with nearly $4B in annual revenue.
Mr. Lo previously worked as an attorney at the law firm of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett &
Dunner, and as a patent examiner in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington D.C. He
also served as a judicial law clerk for Chief Magistrate Judge Infante of the U.S. District Court,
Northern District of California and has taught patent law courses as an adjust professor at the Boalt
Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley.
Mr. Lo obtained his J.D. degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and a B.S. in Electrical
Engineering from The Ohio State University.
Mallun Yen is Vice President of Worldwide Intellectual Property at Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader
in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Mallun started at
Cisco as the company's second intellectual property attorney and went on to build a group that now
consists of over two dozen professionals. Mallun and her team are responsible for the company's
intellectual property strategy and policy as well as its patents, copyrights and trademarks, including
patent development, IP disputes, licensing and acquisitions, standards IPR, IP due diligence and
portfolio of over 10,000 issued and pending US patents.
in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Mallun started at
Cisco as the company's second intellectual property attorney and went on to build a group that now
consists of over two dozen professionals. Mallun and her team are responsible for the company's
intellectual property strategy and policy as well as its patents, copyrights and trademarks, including
patent development, IP disputes, licensing and acquisitions, standards IPR, IP due diligence and
portfolio of over 10,000 issued and pending US patents.
For more information, please contact us at: info@ipcounselcafe.com or (646) 896-1069.
IP Counsel Café is not affiliated with or sponsored by PatentCafe.com, Inc.
© Copyright IP Counsel Café 2008-2010. All Rights Reserved.
IP Counsel Café is not affiliated with or sponsored by PatentCafe.com, Inc.
© Copyright IP Counsel Café 2008-2010. All Rights Reserved.
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| Thank you to our Advisory Board. |
B.J. WATROUS
Vice President & Associate General Counsel, IP Licensing
Hewlett-Packard Company
Vice President & Associate General Counsel, IP Licensing
Hewlett-Packard Company
Diversity Program Advisor:
Legal & Business Program Advisor:
BJ Watrous manages HP’s IP Licensing (IPL) group and is responsible for helping to create and
implement HP’s intellectual property strategy and for optimizing the value realized by HP’s IP portfolio
– including over 32,000 worldwide patents.
His IPL team focuses on Patent & Brand Licensing, Standards Licensing, Technology Transfer,
Patents Sales and Patent Acquisitions. He is a member of the Hewlett-Packard Development
Company (HPDC) Review Board and is one of HP’s advocates for patent reform in the US Congress.
Prior to this role, Watrous served as Chief of Staff for HP's Intellectual Property Group. He co-led the
transformation of the Group now responsible for the spectrum of IP-related activities at HP: patent
development, IP transactions, trademarks & copyrights, and licensing. Previously he served as an IP
Litigation Manager in the HP Litigation Group where he oversaw patent infringement matters, including
disputes with Acer, Gateway, and numerous non-practicing entities.
Before joining HP in January 2007, Watrous spent more than six years at DLA Piper US LLP
(previously Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP) where he specialized in intellectual property litigation
and represented, among others, HP, Adobe, Agilent, Kodak and Qualcomm.
Before beginning his legal practice, Watrous spent four years working in California state government.
He served as Director of External Affairs to the Speaker of the Assembly and as Assistant Director of
Member Services for the Republican Caucus.
Watrous obtained his JD from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2000 and his BA from
Pomona College in 1993.
implement HP’s intellectual property strategy and for optimizing the value realized by HP’s IP portfolio
– including over 32,000 worldwide patents.
His IPL team focuses on Patent & Brand Licensing, Standards Licensing, Technology Transfer,
Patents Sales and Patent Acquisitions. He is a member of the Hewlett-Packard Development
Company (HPDC) Review Board and is one of HP’s advocates for patent reform in the US Congress.
Prior to this role, Watrous served as Chief of Staff for HP's Intellectual Property Group. He co-led the
transformation of the Group now responsible for the spectrum of IP-related activities at HP: patent
development, IP transactions, trademarks & copyrights, and licensing. Previously he served as an IP
Litigation Manager in the HP Litigation Group where he oversaw patent infringement matters, including
disputes with Acer, Gateway, and numerous non-practicing entities.
Before joining HP in January 2007, Watrous spent more than six years at DLA Piper US LLP
(previously Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP) where he specialized in intellectual property litigation
and represented, among others, HP, Adobe, Agilent, Kodak and Qualcomm.
Before beginning his legal practice, Watrous spent four years working in California state government.
He served as Director of External Affairs to the Speaker of the Assembly and as Assistant Director of
Member Services for the Republican Caucus.
Watrous obtained his JD from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2000 and his BA from
Pomona College in 1993.
ANIRMA GUPTA
Deputy General Counsel, IP and Litigation
Intuit, Inc.
Deputy General Counsel, IP and Litigation
Intuit, Inc.
Anirma Gupta has 16 years of experience practicing law. Ms. Gupta is Deputy General Counsel for
Intellectual Property and Litigation. In this position, Ms Gupta is responsible for all aspects of the
company's intellectual property strategy and portfolio, including patents, trademarks, copyrights,
trade secrets, domain names and anti-piracy. Additionally, Anirma and her team provide counseling
on licensing and acquisition of intellectual property assets, intellectual property litigation, and open
source participation. Further, Anirma and her team manage all aspects of litigation for Intuit.
Intellectual Property and Litigation. In this position, Ms Gupta is responsible for all aspects of the
company's intellectual property strategy and portfolio, including patents, trademarks, copyrights,
trade secrets, domain names and anti-piracy. Additionally, Anirma and her team provide counseling
on licensing and acquisition of intellectual property assets, intellectual property litigation, and open
source participation. Further, Anirma and her team manage all aspects of litigation for Intuit.
Lisa McFall is a founder and managing director at Ovidian. Prior to joining Ovidian, Ms. McFall served
as Vice President and Associate General Counsel, at Yahoo!, where she was head of IP Litigation
and Conflict Management and was responsible for IP risk reduction across the enterprise. Ms. McFall
managed Yahoo!'s extensive docket of IP litigation matters, and also managed a variety of operational
functions and complex transactional matters. She has extensive experience advising companies on
IP issues associated with academic collaborations and has drafted and negotiated numerous
collaborative research agreements with domestic and international universities, industrial research
institutions and governmental agencies. Ms. McFall also has participated in various judicial and
legislative reform efforts, including patent-reform coalitions and amicus efforts.
Prior to 2004, Ms. McFall spent 10 years litigating patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret cases
at Brown & Bain and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. She has litigated cases in a wide variety of
tribunals, including numerous U.S. District Courts, the Federal Circuit and the International Trade
Commission, and has also arbitrated matters with the American Arbitration Association and the
International Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. McFall received her Juris Doctorate degree with honors from the University of Wisconsin School
of Law, where she was Managing Editor of the Law Review and President of the Moot Court Board.
Ms. McFall received her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Stanford University
where she focused on US-Soviet civil/military relations.
as Vice President and Associate General Counsel, at Yahoo!, where she was head of IP Litigation
and Conflict Management and was responsible for IP risk reduction across the enterprise. Ms. McFall
managed Yahoo!'s extensive docket of IP litigation matters, and also managed a variety of operational
functions and complex transactional matters. She has extensive experience advising companies on
IP issues associated with academic collaborations and has drafted and negotiated numerous
collaborative research agreements with domestic and international universities, industrial research
institutions and governmental agencies. Ms. McFall also has participated in various judicial and
legislative reform efforts, including patent-reform coalitions and amicus efforts.
Prior to 2004, Ms. McFall spent 10 years litigating patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret cases
at Brown & Bain and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. She has litigated cases in a wide variety of
tribunals, including numerous U.S. District Courts, the Federal Circuit and the International Trade
Commission, and has also arbitrated matters with the American Arbitration Association and the
International Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. McFall received her Juris Doctorate degree with honors from the University of Wisconsin School
of Law, where she was Managing Editor of the Law Review and President of the Moot Court Board.
Ms. McFall received her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Stanford University
where she focused on US-Soviet civil/military relations.
| April 6-7, 2011 Sheraton Palo Alto |