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Intellectual Property Veteran
James has more than 25 years of experience as a trial lawyer, patent litigator, counselor, and IP strategist.
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Extensive Litigation Experience
He has litigated over 200 patent cases and has tried numerous cases in federal courts, state courts, and at the International Trade Commission.
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Active IP Counseling Practice
James has advised over 100 companies on IP issues in a variety of transactions, including patent license agreements, patent purchase agreements, private equity investments, IPOs, and corporate mergers.
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A Recognized Practitioner
James, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, is widely recognized as a leading IP trial attorney and strategist. He has earned accolades as one of Bloomberg Law's "Unrivaled" litigators and was a finalist for The Recorder's IP Lawyer of the Year. Additionally, James has received recognition from prestigious publications such as Chambers USA, Chambers Global, Daily Journal, Lawdragon, and IAM Patent 1000.
James Yoon is a leader of the patent trial and litigation practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. James has more than 25 years of experience as a trial lawyer, patent litigator, counselor, and IP strategist. He has litigated over 200 patent cases and has tried numerous cases in federal courts, in state courts, and at the International Trade Commission. He has also litigated major disputes in arbitration.
James has an active strategic patent counseling practice. He has advised over 100 companies on patent related issues in a wide variety of transactions, including patent license agreements, patent purchase agreements, private equity investments, initial public offerings, and corporate mergers. As part of these transactions, James is frequently involved in risk assessments, valuations, forecasts, and analytical modeling.
In both his patent litigation and strategic counseling practices, James has been a pioneer in the use of data analytics in legal decision making, strategy development, and risk assessment. James has worked with leading data analytic firms to improve their tools and provide greater value to clients and the practice of law.
James served as a member of the committee that developed the original and the revised versions of the Model Patent Jury Instructions for the Northern District of California. James is an adjunct professor (Lecturer-in-Law) at Santa Clara University School of Law, where he teaches a course in patent and trade secret litigation. He has also been a Lecturer-in-Law at Stanford Law School, where he was a trial advocacy instructor and taught a course on the economic and technological forces transforming the private practice of law. He has published numerous scholarly and professional articles and book chapters and is a columnist on patent law and litigation for the ABTL Report of the Northern California Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL).
In 2024, James was inducted as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF), a global honorary society of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession. James was named among Bloomberg Law's 2025 "Unrivaled" litigators and a finalist for The Recorder's 2025 “Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year.” He has been consistently recognized by Chambers USA for his litigation practice and was selected for inclusion in the 2024-2026 editions of IAM Patent 1000.
James has served on numerous firm committees, including Wilson Sonsini's Compensation, Partner Nominating, Board Nominating, Policy and Business Development, and Associate Development committees.
James is a member of the board of directors of the Palo Alto Bar Association, and a member of the High Tech Advisory Board for Santa Clara Law School. He is a former member of the board of directors and former co-chair of the Partner Committee of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association Silicon Valley (APABA-SV). He is also a former member of the board of directors of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association Silicon Valley Charity.
Prior to joining the firm, James served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Alan C. Kay in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. He was previously an electrical engineer for General Motors Corporation, where he worked for many different operations, including the General Motors Technological Center (Warren, Michigan), Opel Motors (Russelsheim, Germany), Vauxhall Motors (Luton, England), and GM's Cadillac Assembly Plant (Detroit, Michigan).
James Yoon is a leader of the patent trial and litigation practice at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. James has more than 25 years of experience as a trial lawyer, patent litigator, counselor, and IP strategist. He has litigated over 200 patent cases and has tried numerous cases in federal courts, in state courts, and at the International Trade Commission. He has also litigated major disputes in arbitration.
James has an active strategic patent counseling practice. He has advised over 100 companies on patent related issues in a wide variety of transactions, including patent license agreements, patent purchase agreements, private equity investments, initial public offerings, and corporate mergers. As part of these transactions, James is frequently involved in risk assessments, valuations, forecasts, and analytical modeling.
In both his patent litigation and strategic counseling practices, James has been a pioneer in the use of data analytics in legal decision making, strategy development, and risk assessment. James has worked with leading data analytic firms to improve their tools and provide greater value to clients and the practice of law.
James served as a member of the committee that developed the original and the revised versions of the Model Patent Jury Instructions for the Northern District of California. James is an adjunct professor (Lecturer-in-Law) at Santa Clara University School of Law, where he teaches a course in patent and trade secret litigation. He has also been a Lecturer-in-Law at Stanford Law School, where he was a trial advocacy instructor and taught a course on the economic and technological forces transforming the private practice of law. He has published numerous scholarly and professional articles and book chapters and is a columnist on patent law and litigation for the ABTL Report of the Northern California Chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL).
In 2024, James was inducted as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation (ABF), a global honorary society of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession. James was named among Bloomberg Law's 2025 "Unrivaled" litigators and a finalist for The Recorder's 2025 “Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year.” He has been consistently recognized by Chambers USA for his litigation practice and was selected for inclusion in the 2024-2026 editions of IAM Patent 1000.
James has served on numerous firm committees, including Wilson Sonsini's Compensation, Partner Nominating, Board Nominating, Policy and Business Development, and Associate Development committees.
James is a member of the board of directors of the Palo Alto Bar Association, and a member of the High Tech Advisory Board for Santa Clara Law School. He is a former member of the board of directors and former co-chair of the Partner Committee of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association Silicon Valley (APABA-SV). He is also a former member of the board of directors of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association Silicon Valley Charity.
Prior to joining the firm, James served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Alan C. Kay in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. He was previously an electrical engineer for General Motors Corporation, where he worked for many different operations, including the General Motors Technological Center (Warren, Michigan), Opel Motors (Russelsheim, Germany), Vauxhall Motors (Luton, England), and GM's Cadillac Assembly Plant (Detroit, Michigan).
- J.D., Stanford Law School, 1993Articles Editor, Stanford Law Review; Chairman, Stanford Asian Law Students Association; Chairman, Stanford International Law Society; Secretary, National Asian Pacific Law Students Association
- B.S., Electrical Engineering, GMI Engineering & Management Institute, 1990Sobey Scholar; GMI Alumni Association Travelship Winner, 1989
- Recognized among Bloomberg Law’s 2025 “Unrivaled” litigators
- Named 2025 "Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year" finalist by The Recorder
- Named among IAM Patent 1000’s 2024-2026 “Leading Patent Practitioners”
- Selected among Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Global IP Lawyers," 2025-2026
- Selected among Lawdragon’s 2025 "500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers"
- Recognized among Lawdragon's 2025 "100 Leading AI & Legal Tech Advisors"
- Named in the 2009-2024 editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, with one source describing him as "an extraordinarily gifted attorney" and another commenting that "his litigation skills are as good as they come, but beyond that he understands our business and cares deeply about our success"
- Recognized in the Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets category of the 2014-2019 editions of Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business
- Selected as a 2018 "IP Star" by Managing IP magazine
- Honored among the "Top 75 Intellectual Property Litigators" in California for 2012, 2013, and 2014 by the Daily Journal
- Selected for inclusion in IP Law & Business's 2008 "Top 50 under 45" list
- Named one of the Daily Journal's 2008 "50 Leading IP Litigators in California"
- Selected for inclusion in the Daily Journal's 2008 "Top 20 under 40" list
- Named to Lawdragon's 2006 "500 New Stars, New Worlds List"
- Selected for inclusion in the 2005-2025 editions of Northern California Super Lawyers
- State Bar of California
- Various District Courts
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. Supreme Court
- J.D., Stanford Law School, 1993Articles Editor, Stanford Law Review; Chairman, Stanford Asian Law Students Association; Chairman, Stanford International Law Society; Secretary, National Asian Pacific Law Students Association
- B.S., Electrical Engineering, GMI Engineering & Management Institute, 1990Sobey Scholar; GMI Alumni Association Travelship Winner, 1989
- Recognized among Bloomberg Law’s 2025 “Unrivaled” litigators
- Named 2025 "Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year" finalist by The Recorder
- Named among IAM Patent 1000’s 2024-2026 “Leading Patent Practitioners”
- Selected among Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Global IP Lawyers," 2025-2026
- Selected among Lawdragon’s 2025 "500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers"
- Recognized among Lawdragon's 2025 "100 Leading AI & Legal Tech Advisors"
- Named in the 2009-2024 editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, with one source describing him as "an extraordinarily gifted attorney" and another commenting that "his litigation skills are as good as they come, but beyond that he understands our business and cares deeply about our success"
- Recognized in the Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets category of the 2014-2019 editions of Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business
- Selected as a 2018 "IP Star" by Managing IP magazine
- Honored among the "Top 75 Intellectual Property Litigators" in California for 2012, 2013, and 2014 by the Daily Journal
- Selected for inclusion in IP Law & Business's 2008 "Top 50 under 45" list
- Named one of the Daily Journal's 2008 "50 Leading IP Litigators in California"
- Selected for inclusion in the Daily Journal's 2008 "Top 20 under 40" list
- Named to Lawdragon's 2006 "500 New Stars, New Worlds List"
- Selected for inclusion in the 2005-2025 editions of Northern California Super Lawyers
- State Bar of California
- Various District Courts
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. Supreme Court
Notable Cases
- Cyntec v. Chilisin Electronics (ND Cal). James was lead trial counsel for plaintiff Cyntec in a patent invalidity trial against rival Chilisin Electronics. The jury rejected Chilisin’s arguments on obviousness and found that all asserted claims of Cyntec’s patents in question were valid, a significant victory for Cyntec.
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Geigtech East Bay v. Lutron Electronics (SDNY). James was retained as lead trial lawyer for Lutron Electronics on a retrial of a damages case. In the earlier trial, a jury had found willful infringement and awarded the plaintiff Geigtech East Bay $34.6 million in damages. After a post-trial briefing, the court granted a motion for a new trial on damages. At trial, James and the Wilson Sonsini team focused its examinations (direct and cross-examinations), opening statement, and closing arguments on the small incremental value of the patented technology and design around alternatives to Geigtech’s patented invention. After four days of trial, the jury awarded Geigtech East Bay only $2.67 million in damages – a 92% reduction from the original damages verdict.
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DataCore Software Corp. v. Scale Computing Inc. (D Del). James was lead trial counsel for the Scale Computing in a patent infringement case against DataCore Software. Following a four-day trial, the jury unanimously found that Scale Computing’s accused products, including the Scale Computing Platform and its Scale Computing Reliable Independent Block Engine (SCRIBE), did not directly or indirectly infringe DataCore Software Corp.’s data storage patent. The jury also found all of DataCore’s asserted claims invalid as anticipated by the prior art.
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VB Assets v. Amazon (D Del). James was lead trial counsel for the plaintiff VB Assets in a multi-patent case against Amazon and its Alexa/Echo virtual assistant and voice commerce platform. After a one-week trial, the jury found that Amazon willfully infringed all four asserted VB Assets patents and awarded $46.7 million in damages. The jury also confirmed that the form of the reasonable royalty damages was a “running royalty,” which was a strategic and important outcome for VB Assets' patent licensing and enforcement program. Law.com named the case among its “Top 100 Verdicts for 2023.”
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Epistar Corporation v. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. et. al. (CD Cal). James was lead trial counsel for the plaintiff Epistar in a multi-patent, strategic case against Lowe’s Companies, Inc. and Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC. After a seven-day trial, the jury awarded Epistar a verdict of willful infringement on three Epistar patents. The jury also awarded reasonable royalty damages at an effectively royalty rate that confirmed the value of Epistar patents and validated Epistar’s licensing program.
- Cyntec v. Chilisin Electronics (ND Cal). James was lead trial counsel for the plaintiff Cyntec in a multi-patent, competitor case against its rival Chilisin Electronics. After an eight-day trial, the jury entered awarded Cyntec a verdict of direct infringement, induced infringement and willful infringement on all patents. The jury awarded lost profits and reasonable royalty damages.
- Avid Technology v. Harmonic (D Del). James represented defendant Harmonic as lead trial counsel in a multi-patent, competitor case. Plaintiff Avid asserted claims of willful infringement, induced infringement, and contributory infringement against Harmonic and its shared video storage systems. After a two-week trial, the jury returned a verdict of non-infringement on both patents in favor of Harmonic.
- MaxLinear v. Silicon Labs (SD Cal). James represented declaratory plaintiff MaxLinear as lead counsel in a 20-patent, competitor case against Silicon Labs. Silicon Labs asserted that MaxLinear hybrid TV tuners infringed numerous Silicon Labs patents. After successfully defeating Silicon Labs' motion for preliminary injunction and obtaining a positive claim construction ruling, the case settled on favorable terms for MaxLinear.
- Panavision v. Omnivision (CD Cal). James represented defendant Omnivision as lead counsel in a competitor patent case. Panavision asserted numerous claims against Omnivision CMOS image sensors. The case ended when James obtained summary judgment of non-infringement and patent invalidity against Panavision's patent.
- Advanced Display Technologies v. HTC (ED Tex). James represented defendant HTC as lead counsel against plaintiff Advanced Display Technologies in a patent case relating to the design of LCD panels. After claim construction, the court granted summary judgment of invalidity on the key asserted patent, which resulted in a favorable early settlement for the client.
- Intel v. Broadcom (D Del). James was one of the lead lawyers representing defendant Broadcom Corporation in a multi-patent, competitor case. Intel asserted that Broadcom MPEG decoder cable set-top boxes infringed one of its video patents. After a five-week trial, a jury found that the accused Broadcom products did not infringe the Intel video patent. The National Law Journal ranked the case as a "Top Defense Win" for patent cases.
- SanDisk Corporation v. Lexar (ND Cal). James successfully argued the motion for summary judgment of infringement in a patent suit between SanDisk and its chief competitor in the flash memory card market, Lexar. The grant of summary judgment of infringement against Lexar resulted in a highly favorable settlement for SanDisk.
Notable Cases
- Cyntec v. Chilisin Electronics (ND Cal). James was lead trial counsel for plaintiff Cyntec in a patent invalidity trial against rival Chilisin Electronics. The jury rejected Chilisin’s arguments on obviousness and found that all asserted claims of Cyntec’s patents in question were valid, a significant victory for Cyntec.
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Geigtech East Bay v. Lutron Electronics (SDNY). James was retained as lead trial lawyer for Lutron Electronics on a retrial of a damages case. In the earlier trial, a jury had found willful infringement and awarded the plaintiff Geigtech East Bay $34.6 million in damages. After a post-trial briefing, the court granted a motion for a new trial on damages. At trial, James and the Wilson Sonsini team focused its examinations (direct and cross-examinations), opening statement, and closing arguments on the small incremental value of the patented technology and design around alternatives to Geigtech’s patented invention. After four days of trial, the jury awarded Geigtech East Bay only $2.67 million in damages – a 92% reduction from the original damages verdict.
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DataCore Software Corp. v. Scale Computing Inc. (D Del). James was lead trial counsel for the Scale Computing in a patent infringement case against DataCore Software. Following a four-day trial, the jury unanimously found that Scale Computing’s accused products, including the Scale Computing Platform and its Scale Computing Reliable Independent Block Engine (SCRIBE), did not directly or indirectly infringe DataCore Software Corp.’s data storage patent. The jury also found all of DataCore’s asserted claims invalid as anticipated by the prior art.
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VB Assets v. Amazon (D Del). James was lead trial counsel for the plaintiff VB Assets in a multi-patent case against Amazon and its Alexa/Echo virtual assistant and voice commerce platform. After a one-week trial, the jury found that Amazon willfully infringed all four asserted VB Assets patents and awarded $46.7 million in damages. The jury also confirmed that the form of the reasonable royalty damages was a “running royalty,” which was a strategic and important outcome for VB Assets' patent licensing and enforcement program. Law.com named the case among its “Top 100 Verdicts for 2023.”
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Epistar Corporation v. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. et. al. (CD Cal). James was lead trial counsel for the plaintiff Epistar in a multi-patent, strategic case against Lowe’s Companies, Inc. and Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC. After a seven-day trial, the jury awarded Epistar a verdict of willful infringement on three Epistar patents. The jury also awarded reasonable royalty damages at an effectively royalty rate that confirmed the value of Epistar patents and validated Epistar’s licensing program.
- Cyntec v. Chilisin Electronics (ND Cal). James was lead trial counsel for the plaintiff Cyntec in a multi-patent, competitor case against its rival Chilisin Electronics. After an eight-day trial, the jury entered awarded Cyntec a verdict of direct infringement, induced infringement and willful infringement on all patents. The jury awarded lost profits and reasonable royalty damages.
- Avid Technology v. Harmonic (D Del). James represented defendant Harmonic as lead trial counsel in a multi-patent, competitor case. Plaintiff Avid asserted claims of willful infringement, induced infringement, and contributory infringement against Harmonic and its shared video storage systems. After a two-week trial, the jury returned a verdict of non-infringement on both patents in favor of Harmonic.
- MaxLinear v. Silicon Labs (SD Cal). James represented declaratory plaintiff MaxLinear as lead counsel in a 20-patent, competitor case against Silicon Labs. Silicon Labs asserted that MaxLinear hybrid TV tuners infringed numerous Silicon Labs patents. After successfully defeating Silicon Labs' motion for preliminary injunction and obtaining a positive claim construction ruling, the case settled on favorable terms for MaxLinear.
- Panavision v. Omnivision (CD Cal). James represented defendant Omnivision as lead counsel in a competitor patent case. Panavision asserted numerous claims against Omnivision CMOS image sensors. The case ended when James obtained summary judgment of non-infringement and patent invalidity against Panavision's patent.
- Advanced Display Technologies v. HTC (ED Tex). James represented defendant HTC as lead counsel against plaintiff Advanced Display Technologies in a patent case relating to the design of LCD panels. After claim construction, the court granted summary judgment of invalidity on the key asserted patent, which resulted in a favorable early settlement for the client.
- Intel v. Broadcom (D Del). James was one of the lead lawyers representing defendant Broadcom Corporation in a multi-patent, competitor case. Intel asserted that Broadcom MPEG decoder cable set-top boxes infringed one of its video patents. After a five-week trial, a jury found that the accused Broadcom products did not infringe the Intel video patent. The National Law Journal ranked the case as a "Top Defense Win" for patent cases.
- SanDisk Corporation v. Lexar (ND Cal). James successfully argued the motion for summary judgment of infringement in a patent suit between SanDisk and its chief competitor in the flash memory card market, Lexar. The grant of summary judgment of infringement against Lexar resulted in a highly favorable settlement for SanDisk.
Select Clients
- Ampere
- Belkin
- Bungie
- Chime
- Cyntec
- Epistar Corporation
- Harmonic
- HTC Corporation
- Lutron
- MaxLinear
- Micron
- OmniVision Technologies
- Playtech
- SanDisk Corporation
- Scale Computing
- Tessian
- Visa
Select Clients
- Ampere
- Belkin
- Bungie
- Chime
- Cyntec
- Epistar Corporation
- Harmonic
- HTC Corporation
- Lutron
- MaxLinear
- Micron
- OmniVision Technologies
- Playtech
- SanDisk Corporation
- Scale Computing
- Tessian
- Visa
Select Publications
- "A Strategic Guide to Patent Monetization," IAM Media, September 24, 2025
- "Six Secrets to Using Gen AI as Your Mock Courtroom," American Bar Association, Litigation Section, September 23, 2025
- "I Won a $45 Million Verdict Against Amazon with a Great Story," Bloomberg Law, September 8, 2025
- "Why Companies Should Still Build a Patent Portfolio," IPWatchdog.com, March 24, 2025
- "Limitations of Generative AI in Civil Jury Trials," Law.com, July 9, 2024
- “Artificial intelligence and the zealous litigator,” Research Handbook on Big Data Law, May 2021
- Co-author with B. Love, "Predictably Expensive: A Critical Look at Patent Litigation in the Eastern District of Texas," Stanford Technology Law Review, Vol. 20, No. 1, 2017
- Co-author with B. Love, "Expanding Patent Law's Customer Suit Exception," 93(5) Boston University Law Review 1605-41, October 2013
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 22, No. 1, Spring 2013
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 21, No. 1, Winter 2011/2012
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 20, No. 1, Winter 2010/2011
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 19, No. 1, Fall 2009
- "Fictional Characters, Story Telling and Patent Trials," Law360, March 20, 2009
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 18, No. 1, Fall 2008
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 17, No. 1, Fall 2007
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 16, No. 1, Winter 2006
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 15, No. 1, Fall 2005
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 14, No. 1, Fall 2004
Select Speaking Engagements
- Moderator, “Patent Strategies for Optimizing Private Company Exits,” Patent Transactions: Unlocking Value From Your Company’s Patent Portfolio, Palo Alto, California, April 2025
Select Publications
- "A Strategic Guide to Patent Monetization," IAM Media, September 24, 2025
- "Six Secrets to Using Gen AI as Your Mock Courtroom," American Bar Association, Litigation Section, September 23, 2025
- "I Won a $45 Million Verdict Against Amazon with a Great Story," Bloomberg Law, September 8, 2025
- "Why Companies Should Still Build a Patent Portfolio," IPWatchdog.com, March 24, 2025
- "Limitations of Generative AI in Civil Jury Trials," Law.com, July 9, 2024
- “Artificial intelligence and the zealous litigator,” Research Handbook on Big Data Law, May 2021
- Co-author with B. Love, "Predictably Expensive: A Critical Look at Patent Litigation in the Eastern District of Texas," Stanford Technology Law Review, Vol. 20, No. 1, 2017
- Co-author with B. Love, "Expanding Patent Law's Customer Suit Exception," 93(5) Boston University Law Review 1605-41, October 2013
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 22, No. 1, Spring 2013
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 21, No. 1, Winter 2011/2012
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 20, No. 1, Winter 2010/2011
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 19, No. 1, Fall 2009
- "Fictional Characters, Story Telling and Patent Trials," Law360, March 20, 2009
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 18, No. 1, Fall 2008
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 17, No. 1, Fall 2007
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 16, No. 1, Winter 2006
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 15, No. 1, Fall 2005
- "On Patents," ABTL Report, Vol. 14, No. 1, Fall 2004
Select Speaking Engagements
- Moderator, “Patent Strategies for Optimizing Private Company Exits,” Patent Transactions: Unlocking Value From Your Company’s Patent Portfolio, Palo Alto, California, April 2025
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