- Columbia Law School, J.D., 1996
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, S.B., Chemical Engineering, 1991
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, S.B., Philosophy, 1991
Alex has been an intellectual property litigator and counselor for 25 years, including 17 years as a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Alex’s litigation practice focuses on complex intellectual property matters, primarily patent actions, and he has tried numerous cases before the United States District Courts and the International Trade Commission. Alex also has been lead counsel on approximately 20 IPRs. He frequently advises companies on the management of their worldwide IP portfolios and on IP in the M&A context. His clients have included Intel, AT&T, Nintendo, Dow AgroSciences, Johnson & Johnson, Acer, Nitto Denko, and NEC.
Alex is frequently quoted on intellectual property law issues in the media, including in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Alex is also committed to giving back to the community. He has been on the Board of the Legal Aid Society of New York, from whom he has received multiple Pro Bono Publico Awards. He frequently represents artists and artisans on a pro bono basis.
Before pursuing a career in law Alex worked in Japan, where he learned to speak Japanese. He began as a biotechnology researcher at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, under a Monbusho Scholarship (now 文部科学省奨学金) from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (now 文部科学省). From there, Alex became a research scientist in the Tokyo office of the United Technologies Research Center. At night he was a bartender in Roppongi mixing terrible drinks with bottom-shelf liquor.
Honors
- Recommended by The Legal 500 USA for Patent Litigation
- Named to Managing Intellectual Property’s list of “IP Stars”
- Named to IAM Patent 1000’s list of “World’s Leading Patent Professionals”
- Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar (Columbia Law)
- Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society (M.I.T.)
Publications & Presentations
- “A Stealth Upheaval In Patent Personal Jurisdiction?” (January 2019)
- Co-author, “TC Heartland’s Impact in 2018,” Law360, December 12, 2018
- “Strengthening the International Arbitration Practice in Japan,” Nikkei Newspaper, June 4, 2018 (in Japanese)
- “Determining the Value of a U.S. Patent,” Asian Legal Business, 2018
- “Drafting Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Clauses in Patent License Agreements,” JCA Journal, 2017 (in Japanese)
- Co-author, “Arbitration Clauses in Patent License Agreements,” Practical Law, Thomson Reuters, February 2017
- “Putting the Supreme Court’s Patent Rulings in Perspective,” The Recorder, 2014
- “Bad Times for Patent Trolls: What the Government Is Doing to Protect Small Businesses,” BNA’s Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal, 2014
- “International Patent Litigation: A Case Study Approach,” Recent Trends in Patent Infringement Lawsuits, 2014
- “Bowman v. Monsanto: The Supreme Court’s Latest Decision on the ‘Patent Exhaustion’ Doctrine,” AIPPI Journal, 2013 (in Japanese)
- “Small Claims Won’t Fix Rising Patent Litigation Costs,” published in both Corporate Counsel and The Recorder, 2013
- “The Constitutionality of Enhancing Damages for Failure to Discharge the ‘Due Care’ Requirement,” IP Litigator, 2007
- “Fixing a Broken Patent System,” CNET Perspective, 2007
- “What Japanese Companies Need to Know About eBay,” Patent, 2006 (in Japanese)
- “eBay, Inc. v. MercExchange LLC, A New Landscape for Patent Litigation,” BNA Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal, 2006
- “Claim Construction after Phillips,” IP Litigator, 2006
- “Licensing/Litigation in the U.S.,” International Business Law, 2006 (in Japanese)
- “Overview of Injunctive Relief in Patent Cases in Japan and the United States,” Patents and Licensing, 2006
- “Claim Construction from an Appellate Perspective,” PLI: How to Prepare and Conduct Markman Hearings, 2004 and 2005
- “Time-Dependent Terms Remain Stuck in the Past,” The Intellectual Property Strategist, 2005
- “Developments in the Written Description Requirement for Biotech Inventions,” Survey of Developments of Intellectual Property and Technology Law, 2004
- “Constitutionality of ‘No-Citation’ Rules,” The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process, 2001
- “A Guide to Protecting Corporate Intellectual Property Rights,” The Connecticut Law Tribune, 1998
Admitted In
- California
- Connecticut
- New York
- Washington
- United States Patent and Trademark Office