Michele K. Herman
| Partner | |
| Seattle | |
| P. 206.903.2462 | |
| F. 206.624.7317 | |
| mherman@woodcock.com | |
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Michele K. Herman’s practice at Woodcock Washburn draws upon her expertise as an engineer, patent attorney, and business manager in providing advice to clients regarding their intellectual property, industry standards, and open source software strategies. Michele is an experienced negotiator and business advisor. Her practice focuses on standards, open source, and technology licensing.
Before returning to Woodcock Washburn in 2004, Michele was Associate General Counsel in Microsoft’s Intellectual Property and Licensing Group. During her tenure at Microsoft, Michele served as Senior Director of Intellectual Property Strategy under Craig Mundie, the Microsoft executive responsible for charting the company’s long-term technology strategy when Bill Gates stepped down in June 2008. Michele oversaw the development and implementation of industry standards and IP strategies as an integral part of Microsoft’s business and product plans on a company-wide basis. She formed and led the corporate standards strategy team that included legal, business, and technical professionals specializing in intellectual property management and licensing, as well as industry standards engagement.
Before joining Microsoft, Michele was a patent attorney at Woodcock Washburn from 1989 -1997. Prior to obtaining her law degree she worked as an electrical engineer with two major electronics companies, focusing on detection and tracking systems and communications systems. In those positions, she designed hardware, software and firmware systems, evaluated and designed detection and tracking systems, and designed and tested the components of a satellite communications system. Michele also evaluated and reported on a nuclear safety program for an integrated weapons and control system.
Michele is an accomplished public speaker who serves as an expert on industry standards and open source topics. Michele holds or has held leadership roles on standards committees of the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), and the American Bar Association (ABA). She also co-teaches a standards and open-source course at Seattle University as an adjunct professor. Recently Michele contributed "substantial editorial and substantive assistance" to the ABA manual entitled Standards Development Patent Policy Manual.
