Lee Van Pelt
Lee Van Pelt (partner) has evaluated patent strategies for investors and developed strategies and prepared patents for emerging companies in Silicon Valley for over twenty years. He also prepares patent opinions and provides litigation analysis.
Mr. Van Pelt received a B.S. in Physics, summa cum laude, from the University of Missouri-Rolla and a J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. He teaches a patent law class at Berkeley Law as well as a technology class for lawyers also at Berkeley Law.
Anthony de Alcuaz
Anthony de Alcuaz became Counsel to the Firm after a successful 37 year career as a trial lawyer and IP counselor. Tony’s practice is focused on intellectual property counseling and strategies, including those relating to litigation and trials, and intellectual property licensing and transactions. Tony has been involved in intellectual property disputes since 1978 and has successfully represented companies and individuals in patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, unfair competition and related intellectual property disputes. Tony represented both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts throughout the U.S. and in appeals to the Ninth Circuit, Federal Circuit and United States Supreme Court.
Tony has been recognized as a leader in Intellectual Property and the legal community, including in the 2012 and earlier editions of Chambers USA, which ranks U.S. attorneys based on client interviews and peer reviews, in PLC Which Lawyer? and in The Legal 500 United States for his extensive knowledge of trade secrets matters. Tony is a member of the bars of California, Texas (inactive), the Ninth Circuit, the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. Tony received his A.B. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.
George Cheng
George Cheng is a patent agent who specializes in preparing and prosecuting patent applications. Representative technologies handled by Mr. Cheng include computer hardware and software, signal processing, data storage and management, Internet applications, and productivity software.
Mr. Cheng received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Obert Chu
Obert Chu is an attorney licensed to practice in Massachusetts (inactive) and New York and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Representative technologies handled by Mr. Chu include image display technologies, telecommunications, computer networks, and medical devices.
Prior to joining Van Pelt, Yi & James, Mr. Chu was a patent attorney in various patent prosecution firms in the Washington DC area.
Mr. Chu received a B.A. in Computer Science and Biological Science from Cornell University, an A.L.M. in Natural Science from Harvard University, and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
Diana Fu
Diana Fu provides strategic patent counseling, analyzes and manages patent portfolios, and prepares and prosecutes patent applications. She also prepares patent reexaminations, provides patent opinions, performs litigation analysis, and handles patent licensing and purchasing. Representative technologies handled by Ms. Fu include computer software, signal processing, circuit design, wireless and broadband networking, data storage, semiconductors, control systems, computer and network security, computer architecture, medical devices, and bioinformatics.
Prior to joining Van Pelt, Yi & James, Ms. Fu worked as an engineer at several Silicon Valley telecommunications and networking companies.
Ms. Fu received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, with areas of concentration in digital signal processing and communication systems. She received her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
Matt Georgy
Matt Georgy prepares and prosecutes patents in various areas of technology, including software, computer networking, data storage and management, circuit design, and robotics.
Mr. Georgy received his B.S.E. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor along with a minor Computer Science. He received his J.D. from the University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley School of Law.
Timothy Hwang
Timothy Hwang (partner) is a registered patent attorney who specializes in preparing and prosecuting patent applications. Representative technologies handled by Mr. Hwang include consumer software, consumer hardware, medical devices, enterprise software, defense, computer/network security, data storage, fintech, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and robotics. Mr. Hwang has years of experience performing infringement analysis including patentability, infringement, and validity.
Prior to joining Van Pelt, Yi & James, Mr. Hwang worked as a summer associate at Sterne Kessler and was a patent examiner with partial signatory authority for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He examined patents related to measuring, calibrating, and testing of data.
Mr. Hwang is licensed to practice in both California and Pennsylvania and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Mr. Hwang received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Delaware. He received his J.D. from Temple University, Beasley School of Law.
Laura Ing
Laura Ing is a registered patent agent who specializes in preparing and prosecuting patent applications.
Prior to joining Van Pelt, Yi & James, Ms. Ing worked at a number of semiconductor and wireless companies in the Silicon Valley and Seattle.
Ms. Ing has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University with a focus in digital signal processing and an M.S. from the University of Washington in Electrical Engineering with a focus in communications.
William James
William James (partner) provides strategic patent counseling, prepares and prosecutes patent applications, and performs validity and infringement analysis in the computer, electrical, and mechanical arts. Representative technologies handled by Mr. James include robotics, computer hardware and software, data storage and management, mobile and network security, artificial intelligence, and wireless communications.
Mr. James received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering & History from the U.S. Naval Academy, where he graduated with distinction. After serving on active duty in the United States Navy, he attended Stanford Law School and received his J.D., Order of the Coif.
Janyce Mitchell
Janyce Mitchell is a registered patent attorney specializing in preparation and prosecution of patent applications. Representative technologies include computer software and architecture, optics, MEMS devices, machine learning, semiconductor devices, computer security, and quantum computing technologies. Ms. Mitchell is licensed to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in California, and in Hawaii.
Prior joining Van Pelt, Yi & James, Ms. Mitchell practiced at Silicon Valley IP boutiques and has over twenty-five years of experience in patent application preparation and prosecution and strategic IP counseling.
Ms. Mitchell received a B.S. in Physics from Stanford University, a M.S. in Physics from the University of California, San Diego and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She has also published in Physical Review Letters and the Journal of Applied Physics.
Andrew Park
Andrew Park (partner) has decades of experience protecting intellectual property assets for startups and technology corporations. Andrew leverages his strong technological experience and legal expertise to strategically build and manage patent portfolios that provide maximum protection and value to his clients. Mr. Park is an attorney licensed to practice in California and New York and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Before his legal career, Mr. Park worked at Apple and Intel solving problems in computer software and hardware architecture.
Mr. Park received a B.S., with distinction, in Computer Systems Engineering and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He received his J.D. from Stanford Law School.
Ami Pugalia
Ami Pugalia is a registered patent agent with over two decades of experience managing intellectual property portfolios for Silicon Valley technology companies and transforming intellectual property into comprehensive patent assets. With her extensive technical and patent law expertise, Ms. Pugalia specializes in strategic patent counseling, preparing and prosecuting patent applications, and performing validity and infringement analysis in various technology areas relevant to computer hardware and software innovations. Representative technologies handled by Ms. Pugalia include artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented and virtual reality, 3D content creation, image processing, network optimization, cybersecurity, data analytics, mobile/web applications, and semiconductor devices.
Ms. Pugalia received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering with special distinction from the University of Oklahoma and received dual M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University, where she was an Intel Foundation Fellow.
Jane Qu
Jane Qu (partner) is a registered patent attorney with experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications. Representative technologies handled by Ms. Qu include artificial intelligence, machine learning, sorting technology, analytics software, network security, and computer architecture.
Prior to joining Van Pelt, Yi & James, Ms. Qu worked as a summer associate with Morrison & Foerster in the patent department at their San Francisco office.
Ms. Qu received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering, cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.
Michael Schallop
Michael Schallop (partner) provides strategic patent counseling, analyzes and manages patent portfolios, and prepares and prosecutes patent applications in various areas of technology for emerging companies in Silicon Valley. He also prepares patent opinions, provides litigation analysis, and assists clients with intellectual property licensing.
Mr. Schallop is also an adjunct faculty member serving as a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law where he teaches a patent law class as well as a technology class for lawyers. Prior to joining Van Pelt, Yi & James, Mr. Schallop worked at Latham & Watkins in their Silicon Valley office and at Symantec Corporation and had substantial IP litigation, patent strategy counseling and IP portfolio management, technology licensing and transactional, and antitrust and strategic counseling-related experience.
Mr. Schallop graduated from Cornell University with degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics. He received a J.D., Order of the Coif, from Emory University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. He spent his third year of law school as a visiting student at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where he was also a member of the Berkeley Technology Law Journal.
Daniel Schneider
Daniel Schneider is an attorney licensed to practice in Tennessee and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Representative technologies handled by Mr. Schneider include image display technologies, telecommunications, computer networks, and medical devices.
Prior to joining Van Pelt, Yi & James, Mr. Schneider was a patent attorney in various patent prosecution firms in the Washington DC area. He has substantial patent strategy counseling and IP portfolio management, technology licensing and transactional, and strategic counseling-related experience. Mr. Schneider received a B.S. in Engineering Physics from McMaster University, and a J.D. from University of Miami School of Law.
Connor Sugasawara
Connor Sugasawara is a patent engineer with experience in preparation and prosecution of patent applications.
Mr. Sugasawara is familiar with technology areas including machine learning, computer graphics, digital design, and signal processing.
Mr. Sugasawara received a B.S. in Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Chris Tan
Chris Tan is a registered patent agent who specializes in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications. Representative technologies include business intelligence and analytics, web/data mining applications and search engines, environmental and green technologies, error correction and digital communications circuitry, web and digital advertising, mobile and wireless technologies, thin clients, and electrical generation.
Prior to joining Van Pelt, Yi & James, Mr. Tan was Director of Engineering at Calimetrics, an optical storage startup. He is also the principal founder of Gelateria Naia, a gelato microcreamery in the Bay Area.
Mr. Tan earned a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering, a B.S. degree in Computational Science from the University of Saskatchewan, and a M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University at Kingston, at the top of each class. He has been published in the IEEE Transactions on Communications, IEEE Communications Letters, and European Transactions on Telecommunications, and spoken many times at the IEEE GlobeCOM and IEEE International Conference on Communications conferences.
Robyn Wagner
Robyn Wagner (partner) has extensive experience in preparing and prosecuting patent applications, performing invalidity and infringement analysis, and providing strategic patent counseling. Her areas of technical expertise include: data and network security, mobile device security, cryptography, content delivery systems, image analysis, and compiler architecture.
Ms. Wagner regularly participates in security-related events and has assisted in the operations of the Shmoocon and DEFCON annual security conferences for many years. She also fosters dogs for the Humane Society of Silicon Valley and is a member of the United States Parachute Association and BASE Access.
Ms. Wagner holds an LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law from Santa Clara University; a J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of New Mexico School of Law; and a B.S. in Computer Science, cum laude, from the University of New Mexico.
Willa Wei
Willa Wei prepares and prosecutes patent applications and manages patent portfolios in the electrical and mechanical disciplines. Representative technologies include computer software and hardware, automotive and aviation technologies, and power electronic devices. She is licensed to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in California and New York.
Ms. Wei received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California at Berkeley, and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
Terry Wong
Terry Wong, Ph.D. is a registered patent agent who specializes in patent strategy counseling and preparing and prosecuting patent applications. Terry has an extensive background in technology including software, electronic and mechanical hardware, data storage, optics, metrology, material science, signal processing, communications, instrumentation, integrated circuits, and systems.
Prior to joining Van Pelt, Yi & James, Terry spent ten years as an executive of Calimetrics, which he co-founded in 1994 and which was sold to LSI Logic in 2003. In addition, he has volunteered for the IEEE-USA by serving on the Entrepreneurial Activities Committee as well as the Government Fellows Committee. Terry has also served on the board of directors for the International Storage Industry Consortium and currently serves on the board of directors of an international startup company.
Terry Wong is an inventor on ten US patents. He has a Ph.D. in Biophysics from UC Berkeley; a M.S. in Applied Physics from Stanford University; and a B.S. in Physics and Applied Physics from Yale University.