Executive Spotlight: Meet the Executive Focused on RPX’s Next Phase of Growth

Why did you want to work at RPX?

Jon: There were three factors that made me want to work at RPX. First, I was an RPX client at IBM, which was a founding member of RPX, so sitting on the other side of the table enabled me to see the value of RPX from a company with a very sophisticated understanding of, and experience with, intellectual property. I realized that if RPX can deliver that type of value to a company like IBM, there is clearly an untapped opportunity.

Second was the opportunity to work at a firm the size of RPX, having spent my career at large, multi-national corporations. Given its size, decisions at RPX can be made more quickly, and as a privately-owned company, it has the opportunity to take a longer-term view of client relationships.

Third, being at RPX gives me the opportunity to spend more time with members, which I really enjoy. From sitting down face-to-face to whiteboarding a problem and coming up with a solution, these client interactions are what get me out of bed in the morning.

You held a number of positions at IBM. How did those help prepare you for this one?

Jon: One of the key strengths of RPX is its tremendous knowledge of technologies and patents, including a deep bench of employees who really understand how technologies have evolved over time, and how members are implementing them as they go to market. Having been at IBM and having spent time in a variety of different business units there—from the server group to the services group to the IP group—I developed a deep understanding of these technologies and how clients are implementing them, so joining RPX is a really good fit in this respect.

IBM is also a very client-centric organization, and one of the fundamental tenets of RPX is that everything we do is for the benefit of our members. So, coming from an organization like IBM that is so client-focused made the transition to RPX a very natural one for me.

What kinds of skills or qualities make someone in your role successful?

Jon: The most important quality is being a good listener. RPX’s value is in being a trusted advisor, and in order to do that you have to be a really good listener. What is the member telling you? What are they not telling you? What are their pain points? Everything we do at RPX is oriented toward how to best serve our members; we need to be good listeners in order to do that.

What opportunities do you see for growing the RPX network?

Jon: One developing trend is the migration of technology from the back office to the front office. Traditionally, technology supported an organization’s business. Today, it is a competitive differentiator and integral to how companies engage with their end-user clients. As this trend continues, there are opportunities for RPX across a variety of new industries that haven’t traditionally been subject to patent litigation.

Can you give an example of such an industry?

Jon: Take the auto industry. Today, auto companies are being challenged to embed all the latest technology into their cars. Many of these companies are even experimenting with autonomous driving, and in the process have to work out how to incorporate radar technology and image recognition in real time. As they experiment with and implement these new technologies into their cars, it raises all sorts of new patent risk.

What about working with companies of different sizes?

Jon: There is a tremendous opportunity for RPX to engage with traditional mid-market firms, many of which don’t have a dedicated IP function. As these firms grow, they will need help analyzing patent risk. This is where RPX’s unique role as a trusted advisor can be of huge value, since many of these mid-market firms don’t have this kind of in-house expertise. Moreover, RPX’s enormous quantity of proprietary data on patents and patent litigation provides the foundation for unparalleled patent data analysis and advisory capabilities that our members tell us they cannot obtain anywhere else.

How do you plan to engage with businesses who are not yet RPX members?

Jon: A near-term objective of mine is to improve the name recognition of RPX, which includes broadening our outreach. There is still a large population set that doesn’t face patent risk on a daily basis, so outside of the 500 or so “frequent defendant” companies, patent risk is an intermittent issue and not a day-to-day problem for executives. When the issue of patent risk does arise, many companies don’t know where to turn for help. It is crucial that we better inform those companies that are rarely sued for patent infringement of our capabilities.

Why should a business become an RPX member?

Jon: RPX’s deep understanding of the patent litigation market is unparalleled, and combined with stellar analytic capabilities, we can present members with unbiased recommendations that are underpinned by data. Further, we are able to provide a variety of different, tailored services and functions depending on what a particular company’s needs are, advising not only on patent licensing and litigation issues, but also on the business side. This is truly unique to RPX.

Why is having a strong network important for RPX?

Jon: One of the fundamental tenets of RPX is that by bringing a large set of members together we can resolve a particular patent issue much more efficiently and at a total cost that is lower than each of the members could achieve by going at it alone. By extension, the more members we have the more avoided costs in that negotiation, and the lower the proportionate cost is to each individual company. A larger network not only benefits existing members, but future members as well.

Secondly, with a stronger and larger network comes more insight into what is happening on a day-to-day basis in the patent ecosystem, as well as the risks posed by constant change. With a bigger network we are talking to more people, encountering more issues, and resolving more situations, so by definition we are gathering more data points. By virtue of having a better network, we have better insights that we can bring to our entire member base, and we can use this information to anticipate and formulate solutions to both current and emerging patent risks.

What was the first thing you tackled in your new role?

Jon: In the very beginning, I spent time reacquainting myself with the IP marketplace. I’ve been out of the IP world for about three years, so it has been a tremendous learning opportunity for me to jump back into the marketplace and the issues. TC Heartland hadn’t even happened when I left the IP unit at IBM. There is a new director of the USPTO, and there have been a lot of changes in the marketplace regarding NPEs. The only constant in this marketplace is that there is constant change.

And what are you most looking forward to doing at RPX in the future?

Jon: In general, I’m looking forward to seeing what the constantly changing patent marketplace has in store over the next few years. I’m really excited to jump right in and start spending time with members and potential members and helping them solve their issues. Beyond that, I’m eager to explore how we increase awareness of RPX’s unique data and analytical capabilities and advance RPX’s position in the marketplace.