Mark Radcliffe

Summary

After forty years of practice as a lawyer in Silicon Valley, I retired in 2023. I am currently providing advice on business and financing strategy to a select number of companies (including web3 projects) through my consulting company, Personal Engines, LLC. During my career, I have focused on assisting innovative companies in developing intellectual property and financing strategies for new technologies. In the 1980s, I assisted in developing the legal framework for software licensing, in the 1990s, I developed the first Domain Dispute Resolution Policy for Network Solutions (which is still the basis for the current ICANN policy), in the 2000s, I assisted in the development of open source licenses and compliance programs and in the 2010s, I assisted companies in developing blockchain strategies ranging from NFT licenses to token issuances. I served as US Private Sector Chair of the US-Japan Innovation and Entrepreneurship Council, a joint project of MITI and the US Department of State to advise on improving the framework for startups in Japan. I worked with a wide range of companies from unknown startups to Fortune 500 companies such as Oracle Corporation and Sony Corporation. I have advised companies and investors on over 1,000 venture capital transactions. I am serving as a trustee for Private Shares Fund, a publicly traded closed end mutual fund investing in late stage startups. The following are some of my projects: Assisted TikTok on its first NFT drop in 2021 Assisted several companies on developing and implementing their NFT strategies Assisted a16z Crypto in drafting the "Can't Be Evil" set of format IP licenses for NFTs Assisted major energy companies in structuring a joint venture to trade certain types of energy using a blockchain infrastructure Assisted several companies in developing and implementing open source management strategies Started the corporate venture capital practice at DLA Piper General counsel to OSI and serve on Apache Software Foundation Legal Committee on a pro bono basis General counsel to the OpenStack Foundation (open source cloud computing project) Assisted the Navajo Nation in adopting a modified version of Article II of the UCC Assisted Dr. Suess Estate in determining what words, characters and symbols to register as trademarks Assisted large Asian company in developing IP asset management strategy for its 50,000 patents Specialties: Advising companies and web3 projects on developing and implementing strategies for financing and on protecting and exploiting intellectual property assets.