Marshall Phelps is best known for launching highly successful IP business operations at IBM in the 1990s and Microsoft in the 2000s. Overlooked among his myriad achievements is mentoring a generation of IP executives, luminaries in their own right.
Among those that reported to Phelps or with whom he worked are Brian Hinman of Philips, Verizon and InterDigital, now at Aon IP Solutions; Dan McCurdy, who heads RPX, and was an IP exec at Lucent; David Kappos, former USPTO director and current C4IP co-chairman and Cravath partner; Louis Carbonneau, IP analyst and CEO of patent brokerage Tangible IP; Horacio Gutierrez, formerly Microsoft head of IP, GC at Spotify and now top legal executive at Disney; and Don Rosenberg of Qualcomm. Phelps also advised Bill Gates, who recruited him personally, and GE CEO Jack Welch, among others.
It’s About People
What is the secret to Phelps magic? Treat IP rights like business assets and product managers like entrepreneurs, he tells UIPM host, Bruce Berman. Involve various business units in IP monetization and bring along the researchers to licensing discussions. In short, look to cement relationships within the company first and outside, not adversaries. And repeat the approach annually.
Treat IP rights like business assets and product managers like entrepreneurs.
For a summary of Phelps recent appearance on the podcast, “Understanding IP Matters,” S3, Ep5, go here. To listen to the special episode, with an option to receive alerts for new ones, tap the link.
Comments about the Phelps episode on IPWatchdog:
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Anon
December 13, 2023 04:55 pm. Thank you for a truly awesome interview.
(please do not confuse lack of comments with value – this is a great example of a post that will not garner comments, but is highly valuable)
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IP Nerd
December 14, 2023 03:03 pmI really enjoy the audio content. This particular piece is a GEM in the rough.