Biography
Nader A. Mousavi is a partner in Sullivan & Cromwell’s Palo Alto office and is co-head of the Firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology Group and the Firm’s Cybersecurity Group.
Widely recognized as one of the top technology deal lawyers in the world, Mr. Mousavi has been described by his clients as “‘an amazing lawyer and trusted legal and business partner…[with] a unique ability to think outside the box and meet company goals. There’s nobody better when you take into account substantive knowledge, composed demeanour and negotiation ability.’”(IAM Patent 1000). Clients praise his “‘legal erudition, superlative drafting and bargaining aptitude’” and note that “‘he is a uniquely talented lawyer. You can put him on pretty much anything…’” (IAM Patent 1000).
He has been named one of the “The World’s Leading IP Strategists” by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) and was recently named a Law360 2018 MVP in technology, and has also been recognized by The American Lawyer, Chambers USA, Daily Journal, The Legal 500 United States, Northern California Super Lawyers and the National Law Journal, among others.
For over 20 years, Mr. Mousavi has focused his practice on technology-intensive mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and collaborations, as well as the licensing of patents, trademarks, trade secrets, content, pharmaceuticals, data, software and other technology. He has led deals across a wide range of industries, including technology, media, internet, telecommunications, life sciences, agtech, fintech, blockchain, consumer, and sports. Many of these transactions have been cross-border. Mr. Mousavi also advises on the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), as well as the transaction review process administered by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”).
He has advised acquirers (such as Amazon, Anheuser-Busch InBev, AT&T, Bayer, Philips), sellers (such as Kite Pharmaceuticals, Pharmasset, Skype, Stemcentrx), investors (such as CPPIB, Goldman Sachs, and Silver Lake), and others (such as DirecTV, Dolby, Fiat, Intel, Kodak, Major League Baseball, VeriFone, Verily, Waymo) on a wide range of strategic transactions involving IP and technology. In aggregate, these transactions represent over $400 billion in M&A deal value and over $5 billion in patent licensing royalties.
A distinguished thought-leader in the field, Mr. Mousavi is a Lecturer in Law at Stanford Law School (2015-2019), where he teaches a course on Patent and Technology Licensing. Mr. Mousavi is a member of the Advisory Board for Stanford Law School’s Program in Law, Science & Technology and is the law school’s National Reunion Chair. He recently received the Stanford University Associates Governors’ Award for exemplary and long-standing volunteer service to Stanford University (2019).
Mr. Mousavi is also a member of the board of directors of PAAIA, the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans.