Context: Recent months have seen several big changes at patent pool operator Via Licensing Alliance, including the appointment of Kevin Mack as the company’s new President (April 1, 2026 ip fray article), the divestiture of some programs to fellow pool operator Access Advance (December 15, 2025 ip fray article), and the launch of new programs in areas including AI-relevant semiconductor technologies (September 25, 2025 ip fray article).
What’s new and direct impact: Via has appointed Patrick Zhang as Vice President, Licensing and Commercial Strategy. In this newly created role, Zhang will lead Via’s licensing efforts as well as development of new programs and strategic partnerships.
Wider ramifications: Zhang’s recruitment is suggestive of Via’s eagerness to accelerate deal flow, both in its core programs, and in new technological areas it is expanding into. Via recently issued calls for patents for its new licensing programs covering DRAM and NAND memory standards, with an eye on the growing data center industry (May 22, 2026 ip fray article); and has added licensors to its Voice Codec pool (May 20, 2026 ip fray article).
Zhang has previously served in senior executive roles at well-known licensing powerhouses including TiVo and Technicolor. Most recently, he was Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at enterprise software firm Atlassian, where he was responsible for IP, public policy, and regulatory affairs.
Prior to his career in-house, Zhang worked in private practice. He was part of the Morrison & Foerster courtroom trial team that represented Apple during the company’s epic 2010s patent litigation battle with Samsung.
“I look forward to bringing a balanced perspective from having sat on both sides of the negotiating table to create trust and unlock solutions”, Zhang said in a statement.
Kevin Mack, President of Via, added: “Patrick’s background, energy, and expertise are an ideal fit as we continue to grow our senior team and build our momentum.”