Tom is a founding partner of the firm.

Thomas F. Villeneuve
Thomas F. Villeneuve
Partner
Silicon Valley
P+1 650 321 2400
Thomas F. Villeneuve

Tom is a nationally recognized authority and leading practitioner in the areas of corporate partnering, strategic alliances, joint development and technology/IP strategy, protection, licensing and commercialization, both domestic and international. He has extensive experience and expertise in representing start-up businesses, emerging growth companies and multinational corporations in these areas. Mr. Villeneuve has represented clients in major corporate partnering and/or licensing arrangements opposite, among others: ABC, ADP, Alcoa, amazon.com, American Airlines, American Home Products, Amgen, Ampex, AMEX, AOL, Apple, ARM, AT&T, Bard, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Borland, BMG, Bunge, Cadence, CalTech, CBIS, CBS, Chugai, Ciba Geigy, Cingular, Cisco, Claris, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Compaq, Crowdstar; Cybercash, Daikin, Debiopharm, Dell; Digital Garage, Disney, Dow, DEC, EA, EDS, Encore Computer, Eunet; Facebook; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Fujitsu, GE, Glaxo, Google, GSK, Harris, Hitachi, HNC, HP, Hynix, IBM, IDT, Intel, Interactive Imagination, Kanematsu,  LG, LSI, Lucent, Mark Twain Bank, Mars, Marubeni, MasterCard, Microsoft, MIPS, MIT, Mitsui Toatsu, Monsanto, Motorola, National Semiconductor, NBA, NBC, NEC, Netscape; Neverhood, Nextel, NFL, Nintendo, Nokia, Nortel, Novell, NTT, NYNEX, Omni, Oracle, Orange, Ortho, Palm, Pfizer, Philips, Presage, Prime, Proctor & Gamble, Qualcomm, Qwest, Reuters, RIM, RSA, S3, SAP, Salk Institute, Samsung, SBC, Searle, Seiko, Shinko, SmithKline Beecham, Sony, St. Jude Medical, Stanford University, Sun Microsystems, Sweden Post, Tandem, Teradata, TI, Time Warner Cable, TRW, TSMC, UAL, UMC, University of California (various campuses and administered national labs), University of Illinois, University of Texas, University of Washington, Wonderware, Varian, Verity, Verizon, Visa, Vodafone, Xerox, Yahoo, Zapata, among many others.

AFFILIATIONS

  • Member of the Advisory Board of the High Technology Law Journal of the Boalt Hall (U.C. Berkeley) School of Law.
  • Member of the Board of Editors of The Computer Lawyer.
  • Member of the Board of Editors of The Cyberspace Lawyer.
  • Member of the Board of Editors of the Strategic Alliance Alert.
  • Founder of the International Software Partnering Conference.
  • Former Chairman of Intellectual Property Committee of Brobeck’s network of major U.S. law firms. 
  • Former Brobeck Intellectual Property liaison to the Pacific Rim Advisory Counsel.

Education

  • University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, J.D.
  • University of California, Santa Cruz, B.A., Chemistry, Biology
    • Highest Honors

Achievements

  • Founder and Partner, Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian. Heads firm’s intellectual property practice.
  • Named one of the top corporate transactional lawyers in California (and the only one of those focused primarily on corporate partnering, strategic alliances, joint ventures and licensing), as well as and one of California’s top IT lawyers, in the Chambers USA guide to "America's Leading Lawyers for Business."
  • Named among the "Top 25 IP Lawyers" by the leading legal trade publication in California; Mr. Villeneuve was the only alliance/partnering/licensing lawyer named.
  • One of only a handful alliance/partnering/ licensing lawyers named the Global Counsel’s lists of Most Recommended Lawyers.
  • Named as a Northern California Super Lawyers.
  • Named in “Best Lawyers in America”
  • Named as one of the World’s Top IP Strategists by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Magazine.
  • Martindale Hubble AV Rated.
  • American Jurisprudence Award.