Bio

Michael Plumleigh has been advising clients on intellectual property, technology and media matters for over 25 years, and offers the perspective of having worked in-house as well as serving as outside counsel for hundreds of technology, media and life science/biotech companies. Mike has extensive experience advising early stage and established companies on complex corporate partnering, M&A, licensing, marketing, technology transfer and intellectual property transactions; domestic and international alliances; software license, consulting, online hosting, cloud computing services and infrastructure agreements; sales, OEM and distribution channel agreements; product development, manufacture, supply and marketing agreements; patent and trademark protection, branding, commercialization and portfolio management; and counseling on open source software, Internet digital media, export, antitrust, and international privacy laws. Prior to joining M&H, Mike was Director of Legal Affairs at Via Licensing Corp., where he was responsible for the development and negotiation of standards-based patent licensing programs (patent pools), monetizing IP on behalf of many of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers, telecommunications providers and technology innovators. Prior to Via, Mike was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary at Critical Path, Inc., a leading provider of mobile messaging and digital media solutions and services. Before going in house, Mike was a partner and co-founder of the Technology Transactions and Privacy practice groups in the San Francisco office of Cooley Godward LLP; and a partner in the Technology Group at Brobeck Phleger & Harrison LLP in Palo Alto and San Francisco. Mike received his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law, where he was the Managing Editor of the UCLA Law Review, and received a B.A., magna cum laude, in Economics from UCLA. He also studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he majored in music performance and composition. Prior to pursuing law, Mike was a professional musician, orchestrator, and music publisher, including worldwide tours as a trumpet player with the Buddy Rich and Harry James Orchestras, shows and recording work in Los Angeles, and engagements with jazz greats Clark Terry, Mel Tormé, Joe Williams and Louie Bellson. More recently Mr. Plumleigh has performed with the Zak Brown Band, Kurt Elling, Steve Miller, Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, and at the San Francisco, San Jose and Monterey Jazz Festivals.