Craig A. Gelfound

As the latest developments in 5G technology roll out, Craig A. Gelfound—whose client Qualcomm Inc. leads in next-gen wireless broadband technology—flashes back to his days as a hands-on electrical engineer.

Now an Arent Fox LLP partner in charge of the firm’s California IP practice, Gelfound has led the group’s expansion from one lawyer in 2007 to over 25 lawyers and professionals now.

His engineering background included developing radar systems during the Cold War. That experience resonates now in Gelfound’s work for Qualcomm Inc., whose 5G developments span innovations from modems to antennas. “In 1983 I was an engineer on radar systems that began using electronic beam-steering,” Gelfound said—a technology that was a forerunner of 5G beam-forming today. “The concept is familiar but much improved with multiple and directional beams; so is the work I do now on modems and the process of base signals, global roaming and data speeds.”

Managing the patent portfolios of Qualcomm and others, Gelfound keeps pace with the inventions as his clients develop them. “5G has been expanding rapidly, with constantly increasing demand on our legal staff both in IP and on the tech side,” he said. “We write applications as if they were going to be litigated, and my background helps on the patent drafting side, making the applications as bullet-proof as possible.”

Other clients include Western Digital Corp; and its flash memory brand SanDisk; the Alfred Mann Foundation, a research and development company; Grass Valley USA LLC, a maker of television production and broadcasting equipment, in its acquisition by Black Dragon Capital; Scosche Industries, a consumer electronics company; Divergent Technologies Inc., a pioneer in 3-D printed automobile technology; LED lighting company Bridgelux, Inc.; and the law firms Dentons Europe LLP and Beyond Attorneys at Law.

When Grass Valley was acquired, Gelfound handled all the intellectual property aspects related to the 2020 transaction. His earlier work with the film technology company Technicolor came in handy when another tech firm sued over the deal, alleging patent infringement. “I had a lot of prior knowledge of the patents involved,” he said. That allowed him to dispose of the lawsuit with uncommon speed. Benderloch Technologies LLC v. Grass Valley USA LLC, 1:21-cv- 01664 (D. Delaware, filed Nov. 24, 2021).

Without even filing an answer to the complaint, Gelfound presented argument in letter form to the plaintiff, explaining why the claim was meritless. “After a couple of letters and a telephone negotiation, they voluntarily dismissed the case,” he said. The total elapsed time from filing to dismissal was just over one month. “The client was very happy.”

– John Roemer