Neon.ai Intern Conversation with David Cohen

 Last Wednesday (7/15), the Neon AI intern team had the pleasure of meeting one of the world’s most renowned patent attorneys, David Cohen. Patents are a large part of our company’s commercial success and strategy, with groundbreaking revelations in conversation processing and artificial intelligence documented through our intellectual property (18 patents plus licensed software) over nearly the past two decades. Our granted patents have been cited by companies such as Google, Samsung, Apple, IBM, State Farm, and Open AI.

Presentations and AMA sessions with established professionals such as David Cohen are part of Neon's commitment to supporting our interns' professional development, facilitating their knowledge growth and providing networking opportunities. Our Head of Business Development, Tim Luetzow, has worked with David for years and spoke to his trustworthiness and thoughtfulness at the beginning of the conversation, both of which became apparent to the rest of our team throughout the course of our talk.

"Patents aren't just legal documents, they're one of the world's largest records of innovation."

Neon.ai's first ever intellectual property related to conversational artificial intelligence was created in 2008, long before artificial intelligence was a buzzword in daily conversation and pertinent to Adaptive Forums, which are colloquially known as adaptive social media. Since then, Neon.ai has released proprietary products built on our IP into the AI space.

IP In the Political and Economic Sphere 

One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was how quickly patent law extends beyond innovation and into politics and international relations. David shared that when he was representing Vringo Inc. in suing ZTE (a huge Chinese state-owned telecom company), he obtained injunctions in 12 jurisdictions around the world, and the Chinese government threatened his life — there is a Washington Post article about this David Cohen Vringo Case . 

• In 2015, during President Xi's delegation visit, a second-tier delegation from the Chinese Patent Office met with the U.S. Patent Office, and one major topic was what to do about David Cohen. 

The U.S. Patent Office reportedly called him "just a patent troll" and said they had him "taken care of." 

Patent Trends & Current Administration 

When asked about the current politics regarding patents,. David explained that:

• Under both the Obama and first Trump administrations, there was a trend toward less patent protection. 

• The current administration is enforcing patent rights in ways more favorable to small patent owners, making it harder to kill patents. However, the underlying laws haven't changed, and courts are still enforcing them as before. 

• David's biggest concern: patents were historically a bipartisan issue, but with the current administration being strongly pro-patent, there's a risk the opposing party will feel obliged to take an anti-patent stance. 

What You Can Do With a Patent 

One of my favorite moments came when we asked David what a patent is actually good for. As he joked, patents can impress your investors (or your grandma)" but their real value is much more practical. A strong patent gives inventors leverage. More often than not, companies would rather negotiate a license than risk a lawsuit. 

That led us into a discussion about what David called "efficient infringement," where large companies knowingly use patented technology because they know they can afford to fight the legal battle later if they have to. It's a strategy that shifts the burden onto smaller innovators, making strong intellectual property all the more important.

Other Uses of Patents 

Before we wrapped up, David shared one final perspective that stuck with us: patents aren't just legal documents, they're one of the world's largest records of innovation. Researchers and companies read patent filings not to prepare lawsuits, but to understand where technology is heading next and what problems the world's brightest minds are trying to solve. For example, David's friend, an industrial engineer who develops vaccines for WHO (notably prior Ebola vaccines), spent much of his earlier career reading patent applications to understand industry trends. 

All things considered, AI in the intellectual property space is an exciting new prospect to invest in, and our team is grateful for the opportunity to have the chance to explore it with a top global expert.  

—-------------------------

Ramitha Nagarajan, Project Management Intern - Sales and Marketing

Neon AI Sales and Marketing Intern Team

Sources

Vringo v. ZTE

• David L. Cohen, A Short History of Vringo's Battle with ZTE, Kidon IP (Aug. 2, 2018) — https://www.kidonip.com/resources/blog/a-short-history-of-vringos-battle-with-zte/
  Cohen's own account of the 39-month fight; the parties settled Dec. 21, 2015 for $21.5 million. Kidonip

• Same paper, ABA IP West 2017 version (PDF) — https://d11o58it1bhut6.cloudfront.net/production/2775/originals/a-short-history-of-vringo-v-zte-af060463.pdf

• Transplanting Anti-Suit Injunctions, 71 Am. U. L. Rev. 1537 (2022) — https://aulawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/YCY.to_.Printer_UpdatedTable.pdf
  Independent confirmation of the scope: four years, twelve jurisdictions. Texas A&M Law Review

Chinese government pressure

• David L. Cohen, When Vringo Met China's Anti-Monopoly Law NDRC, Kidon IP (Sept. 20, 2018) — https://kidonip.com/vringo-v-zte/when-vringo-met-chinas-anti-monopoly-law/
  Cohen describes two meetings with NDRC officials in Beijing involving explicit and implicit threats to his life, liberty, and property, during an investigation of Vringo opened at ZTE's request. aol

• David L. Cohen, Response to the DOJ Call for Public Comments on SEPs (2021), Part 6 of 6 — https://www.kidonip.com/resources/blog/response-to-the-us-department-of-justice-call-for-public-comments-on-seps-part-6-of-6/
  Formal regulatory filing; footnotes document the arrest-threat context and the Vringo injunctions.

Policy context (not David L. Cohen)

• IP and Strategic Competition with China: Part IV — Patents, Standards, and Lawfare, H. Judiciary Subcomm. on Courts, IP & the Internet (Dec. 18, 2024) — https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-118hhrg57831/html/CHRG-118hhrg57831.htm

Bio — https://www.kidonip.com/about/

Neon.ai's Patents — https://www.neon.ai/patents