Raymond V. Millien (Ray)
Chief Executive Officer
Raymond Millien, named one of the “World’s 300 Leading IP Strategists” by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Magazine and a “Corporate IP STAR” by Managing IP (MIP) Magazine, is Chief Executive Officer of Harness, Dickey & Pierce, P.L.C. He oversees the firm’s operations, including HR, Finance, Marketing/Business Development, IT, and Docketing. Previously, Ray was Chief IP Officer at Volvo Car Corporation and CEO of Volvo Cars Ventures. He has led the IP function at GE Oil & Gas and the American Express Company, and the software IP function at GE Healthcare. Ray has also served as General Counsel of merchant bank Ocean Tomo, LLC, and practiced law in the Washington, D.C. offices of DLA Piper US LLP and Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC. He received a B.S. in Computer Science from Columbia University, and a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School. In addition to his career as an innovation and legal executive, Ray is a lecturer and published author with experience as a member of several boards of directors and in venture capital, licensing, software development, and corporate and technology law.
Practice Areas
Industries
- Served as the Chief IP Officer at Volvo Car Corporation and CEO of Volvo Cars Ventures, where he led a global team of attorneys and managed a multi-million dollar legal budget. Under his watch, Volvo Cars significantly increased its IP licensing revenue and its patent application filing rates, while simultaneously controlling departmental operating expenses.
- Led the IP function at GE Oil & Gas, where he was involved in several mergers and acquisitions, private equity partnerships, and efforts to monetize innovations related to industrial equipment, IoT technologies, and big data.
- Formerly served as IP Counsel to American Express Company, where he managed the FinTech giant’s company-wide IP portfolio and drafted and negotiated IP, software, and IT agreements. He also managed trade secrets, performed patent and open source clearances, and handled outbound licensing agreements.
- As a Technology Law Consultant for Goldman Sachs, he helped the financial services firm revive its technology and IP efforts following the Great Recession. Ray conducted extensive advertising reviews, handled IP clearance analyses, and created new policies and procedures for drafting technology agreements.
- Served as General Counsel of merchant bank Ocean Tomo, LLC, which provides technology-related M&A advice as well as valuation and analytics services.
- Founded and led the PCT Law Group for several years, focused on serving clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in all areas of IP law as well as corporate counseling.
- After law school, Ray worked in private practice for Sterne Kessler and then DLA Piper.
Practice Areas
Industries
In the News
- John White Quoted in Law360 Article about his Move to Harness IP
- Ray Millien Discusses His Past and Shares Plans for the Future of Harness IP in Detroit Legal News Interview
- Ray Millien Discusses Software Patents and the Damage Done at IPWatchdog Conference
- CEO Ray Millien Discusses How to Add More Value to Clients in Interview with Ari Kaplan
- "Volvo Cars chief IP officer departs to head up US boutique," IAM Media, August 5, 2021
- "Volvo Cars Chief IP Officer Heads to IP Boutique as CEO," Corporate Counsel, August 3, 2021
Events
Prior News & Events
- What Executives Should Know About IP, University of Cambridge IIPM Laboratory, June 15, 2021
- “Getting a Seat at the C-Suite Table,” INTA National Conference, virtual, 2020
- “Digitalization,” Gothenburg University’s Center for Intellectual Property Annual Conference, Gothenburg, Sweden, September 2018
- How to Successfully Monetize IP, Marcus Evans, June 2018
- “IoT and IP Lawyering,” Automotive Legal & IP World Summit, Berlin, Germany, June 2018
- “The Future of IP Law,” Västsvenska Immaterialrättsklubben (VIRK) Annual Meeting, Gothenburg, Sweden, May 2018
- Volvo Cars’ New IP Head Looks to Turn Iconic Brand into a Powerful Patent Player, IAM Blog, Apr 6, 2018
- LeadershIP with Ray Millien, Adamson & Partners, March 2018
- “Data is the New Black,” International Performance Management Institute’s IP Law & Management Conference, Austin, Texas, November 2017
- “IP Lawyering and the IoT,” The IP Strategy Summit: Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, California, November 2016
- “The First Line of Defense: A Strong Patent Prosecution Program,” IP Defense Summit, Chicago, Illinois, October 2014
- Stocks, Drugs, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Wall Street Journal, March 15, 2013
- A Wall Street Rush to Patent Profit-Making Methods, New York Times, Aug 11, 2006
Articles
- Software Patents Hold Steady at 63% in 2021, Writes Ray Millien in IPWatchdog Article
- Ray Millien and Hamad Mirza Discuss How to Draft Better IP Licenses in IPWatchdog Article
- Ray Millien Discusses the Fate of Software Patents 7+ Years after Alice in IPWatchdog Article
PRIOR Articles
- “Seven Years After Alice, 63.2% of the U.S. Patents Issued in 2020 were Software-Related,” IPWatchdog, March 17, 2021
- “Six Years After Alice: 61.8% of U.S. Patents Issued in 2019 Were ‘Software-Related’—up 21.6% from 2018,” IPWatchdog, February 17, 2020
- “As Congress Contemplates Curbing Alice, More Than 60% of Issued U.S. Patents are Software Related,” IPWatchdog, July 2, 2019
- “Contracts 101: Covenants, Representations and Warranties in IP License Agreements,” IPWatchdog, October 10, 2018
- “5G and Autonomous Vehicles: Is FRAND Grand?” Law.com, April 2, 2019
- “The EPO Should Rule on SEPs, Say Top European Auto Patent Players,” IAM Magazine, September 7, 2018
- “Alice Who? Over Half the U.S. Utility Patents Issued Annually are Software Related!” IPWatchdog, May 21, 2017
- “Rethinking the Annual Patent Application Filing Target,” IPWatchdog, April 11, 2017
- “Internet of Things: The Implications for IP Law Practice,” IPWatchdog, November 30, 2016
- “Intellectual Property Lawyering in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (the IoT),” Innography® White Paper, October, 2016
- “Protecting IP in an Agile Software Development Environment,” Co-Author, IPWatchdog, December 28, 2015
- “10 Business-Oriented Rules for Being an Excellent Lawyer,” Corporate Counsel Magazine, April 7, 2015
- “The Use of Competitive Intelligence in IP Monetization,” IAM Magazine, March, 2014
- “From Finals to the Firm: Top Ten Things New Law Firm Associates Should Know,” West, 2009
Before pursuing a career as an IP strategist and legal executive, Ray was a Software Engineer for GE Aerospace (now Lockheed Martin) where he wrote software for several commercial and military projects.
Outside of the office, Ray is a member of several boards of directors and is in involved in several organizations that promote cultural expression and the arts. He is an avid foodie and enjoys reviewing restaurants as a Google Local Guide. Ray also enjoys travelling and playing sports.
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
- Managing IP Magazine, Corporate IP Star, 2020
- Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Magazine, World’s 300 Leading IP Strategists, 2009 – 2016, 2019
- National Diversity Council, Top 50 Multicultural Lawyers in Houston, 2017
- Association of Corporate Counsel Communicator Awards, Silver Communicator Award, 2008
Education
J.D., George Washington University Law School, 1997
B.S., Computer Science, Columbia University, 1992
Bar & Court Admissions
New York
Florida
U.S Patent and Trademark Office