Biography
Thomas Chia is the vice president of patents and corporate development at Via Licensing Alliance, a leader in multiparty licensing programs and an independent subsidiary of US technology pioneer Dolby Laboratories. An accomplished intellectual property strategist and attorney, Dr Chia has built a reputation for crafting deals that enable and promote innovation by balancing the needs of manufacturers and innovators around the globe. He consistently structures IP-centric business deals and other collaborative arrangements to commercialize some of today’s most valuable technologies.
Dr Chia is a highly regarded expert in standards-based technologies, international multiparty IP programs and fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing, subjects he has published in law reviews and teaches on at top law schools. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in orchestrating significant IP deals with major technology companies, where his expertise in building bridges with other IP leaders creates significant long-term value for all parties.
Before Via, Dr Chia served at the Ovidian Group, a premier IP and business advisory firm where he represented clients from around the world in developing and executing tailored IP strategies. He also managed worldwide licensing, patent prosecution and strategic patent acquisitions and divestitures for a publicly traded IP licensing company.
Dr Chia received his PhD in engineering from Yale University, where he published in several peer-reviewed scientific publications and served in the university’s tech transfer office. He earned his JD from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, his BS in engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and is a registered US patent attorney.