Sonny Zhan
Key details
- Job title: Patent Attorney & IP External Submissions Lead
- Organisation:IBM
- Geography: US
- Practice Areas: Patents
- Level:Mid-level
Profile
Based in Coral Gables, Florida, Sonny Zhan is an experienced patent and IP attorney working at computer giant IBM. Zhan’s background is in patent procurement and strategic portfolio management and his expertise spans invention disclosure evaluation, infringement investigations, invalidity analysis, and IP due diligence. Zhan began his career as a software engineer at biotechnology company Boston Scientific. He had further roles as a patent attorney at law firm Merchant & Gould and as an IP corporate counsel at medical device maker Welch Allyn.
Comments
“Sonny excels at identifying and tackling front-line IP risk—his sensitivity and adaptability allow him to manage these problems.
“One type of IP risk that arises is belligerent individuals with no valid claims who can create problems for the enterprise if they are ignored—Sonny handles this through strategic communication and leveraging intra-organisational relationships in corporate security.
“Furthermore, Sonny is able to successfully handle serious patent owners whose assertions present a real infringement liability risk to the business by joining sophisticated legal knowledge with organisational savvy in surfacing IP matters to senior in-house counsel for maximum effectiveness.”
