Soyeon Pak "Karen" Laub advises clients on the full spectrum of intellectual property (IP) matters, including patent prosecution, licensing, technology transfer, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), IP due diligence, open source software (OSS), and strategic counseling. Karen is a co-leader of the IP Open Source Software Working Group. She has experience with technologies relating to computer hardware, software, wireless communications (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, OFDMA), semiconductors, circuits, ASICs, chip packaging, data storage, displays, aerospace, defense, automotive, consumer products, financial services, Software as a Service (SaaS), and medical and healthcare.
Karen has worked extensively to help companies maximize their competitive position and profits from proprietary IP. These matters include negotiating more than 1,000 complex licensing, development, supply, transfer, and employee/consulting agreements; conducting due diligence for more than 500 M&As valued up to more than $1 billion; managing worldwide patent portfolios having 7,000-plus cases; rendering more than 300 infringement/validity patent opinions; and handling 100-plus OSS license projects and reviews. Karen also regularly prepares and prosecutes US and foreign patent applications.
Karen has successfully arbitrated and litigated cases before federal courts in California, Texas, Kansas, Georgia, and Delaware and before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She has guided clients through the entire litigation process, including preliminary injunctions, Markman claim constructions, infringement and validity summary judgment motions, depositions, expert reports, settlements, and trial.
Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Karen served as general counsel for a leading chip company for telecommunications and wireless products. She also worked for years as an electrical and software engineer, researcher, and inventor before launching her legal career, including six years at Hughes Research Laboratories, during which time the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum honored and took delivery of the 3D signal processing computer built by Karen and her technical team as the world's fastest computer for its size. She also designed and oversaw CMOS circuit fabrication and developed vertical interconnect technologies and novel power and ground techniques for high-performance computing, for which she was the principal inventor.
Technical Areas
Member, Practice Group of the Year, Intellectual Property, Law360 (2019)
Member, Litigation Department of the Year–Intellectual Property, The American Lawyer (2019)
Recommended, Intellectual property: Patents: licensing, The Legal 500 US (2019)
Recognized, Most Powerful and Influential Women in California, California Diversity Council (2009)
Sayre Macneil Scholar
Fellow, UC Berkeley
Recipient, UCLA Outstanding Bachelor of Science Candidate Award
Recognized, National Dean's List