Joseph Yang is a Founding Partner of PatentEsque Law Group, LLP where he specializes in technology transactions, patent licensing and intellectual property strategy. He also currently serves as Vice President and General Counsel of Cryptography Research, Inc.
Before joining PatentEsque Law Group, Joe previously co-founded and later led the intellectual property transactions practice at the Palo Alto office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, one of the world's preeminent corporate law firms with offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Joe's group was responsible for advising clients throughout the firm's Palo Alto, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Asia-Pacific offices in all types of intellectual property transactions, with a particular focus on technology alliances, joint ventures, licensing, development/services and web commerce agreements. While at Skadden, Joe also served as lead or co-lead IP counsel for over one hundred major technology mergers and acquisitions handled by the firm, including HP-Compaq, Yahoo-Inktomi, Quantum-Certance, and many others.
Joe's practice includes advising clients on all aspects of intellectual property, with a focus on structuring, negotiating and implementing technology transfer, technology alliance, joint venture, patent licensing and e-commerce agreements, as well as IP aspects of mergers and acquisitions. He also frequently counsels clients on IP strategy (i.e., portfolio management to maximize commercial value, infringement & validity analyses, etc.) with a special emphasis on licensing and exploitation.
Joe has recently represented clients in the software, telecommunications, computer security, semiconductor, internet, satellite, financial, medical device, healthcare, and pharmaceutical industries in matters such as:
• R&D, manufacturing, supply & marketing alliances & joint ventures
• technology transfer negotiations
• patent assertion/licensing initiatives
• patent licensing and cross-licensing
• spin-off of a business division
• cross-border joint development deals
• outsourcing IT operations
• authoring policy & practices statements for digital certification authorities
• industry standards/consortium agmts.
• copyright reverse engineering
• IP asset auctions in bankruptcy
• designing-around competitors' patents
• all kinds of web and ASP agreements
• arbitration/settlement of actual or threatened litigation
Joe frequently lectures and writes on technology transactions and the use of patents as business assets. He co-chairs the annual "Advanced Licensing Agreements" course for the Practising Law Institute in SF and NY. He has also taught the "Patent Law and Policy" course at U.C. Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law as an adjunct professor. He is also listed in Marquis Who's Who in America.
Joe is a member of the California Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Before becoming an attorney, Joe was a research engineer in the aerospace/defense (TRW Corporation) and energy (Shell Research) industries.
Joe holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School, and a Ph.D. in engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He has recently served on the Board of Directors of the Caltech Alumni Association, and as President of its San Francisco Chapter.
Joe can be reached by email at joe@patentesque.com, or by phone at 650-233-0822 (O).
