James Pooley is a former Deputy Director General of WIPO

Mr. Pooley’s storied career mirrors the development and innovation of Silicon Valley. He began in Palo Alto in 1973 trying commercial cases, primarily fights between startups over proprietary technology. Ten years later, he wrote his first business book, “Trade Secrets.” In 1997 he introduced his legal treatise by the same name, which has become part of the IP canon and a vital desk reference for practitioners.

At WIPO Mr. Pooley was responsible for the international patent system (PCT). He spent five years as the U.N.'s top U.S. diplomat for intellectual property, championing the rights of IP owners, advocating for fair enforcement, and dealing with increasing public and private sector concern about cybersecurity in an age of heightened threats.

Upon returning to Silicon Valley, Mr. Pooley completed “Secrets: Managing Information Assets in the Age of Cyberespionage” (Verus Press, 2015). The book is a clarion call for both lawyers and business executives about the increasing difficulty of keeping corporate information private in a hyperconnected world. It has garnered praise from those at the apex of the tech world, as well as reviews attesting to the quality of its important and accessible content.