Biography
Diane Gabl Kratz is an award-winning Silicon Valley IP executive, USPTO-registered patent attorney, and business advisor. She excels at creating IP strategy, building monetizable portfolios, managing litigation, and empowering employees. At Dolby, she leads an 18-person global team, developing and executing U.S. and international patent filing strategies and heading trademarks worldwide.
In 2024, Diane received the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Global Top 10 30-Somethings Award. This honor recognizes 10 in-house attorneys worldwide for innovation, professional impact, and pro bono/volunteer work. Diane is also a five-time IAM Strategy 300 World's Leading IP Strategist for maximizing IP value.
A nationally-recognized speaker, Diane frequently presents at conferences throughout the U.S. She has been featured as a guest lecturer at Stanford University’s Management Science & Engineering Department and at the University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where she taught on entrepreneurship, innovation, and intellectual property. Past speaking engagements include the ABA, ACC, Silicon Valley Association of General Counsel, IAM, California Lawyer/Daily Journal, Oregon Patent Law Association, and IP Counsel Café.
Diane has been profiled or quoted in numerous legal publications including Law360, American Lawyer/Law.com, IAM, Managing IP, and World Intellectual Property Review. Her contributions to IP-focused organizations include the IP Gathering, Unified Patents, and the LOT Network. She is a Founding Board Member of the California IP Alliance and a Global Advisory Board Member for the Women In Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF). She also organizes a monthly networking event, Patents & Pints, for San Francisco Bay Area IP professionals.
Prior to Dolby, Diane served as Senior IP Counsel at a Fortune 500 tech company in Silicon Valley. She managed all aspects of the patent portfolios for two business units, advising on strategy, prosecution, and IP-related transactions. Most notably, she launched a company-wide inventor recognition initiative that increased invention disclosures by 100%. Based on the strength, scope, and influence of its patent portfolio, her company was recognized repeatedly as a Top 100 Global Innovator by Thomson Reuters/Clarivate Analytics.
A four-time Super Lawyers Rising Star, Diane began her career in private practice at the Silicon Valley offices of international law firms Morrison & Foerster LLP and Sidley Austin LLP. There, she focused on IP litigation in industries such as semiconductors, software, telecom, consumer electronics, and medical devices.
Diane received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and a Physics degree from Cornell University. She is a member of the California Bar, Patent Bar, and is an IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional for both Europe and the United States (CIPP/E, CIPP/US).