Leann Pinto

As CEO of IPwe, what does effective leadership look like to you?

Effective leadership requires decisiveness, direction and diligence.

How is the development of AI affecting your practice?

IPwe is built on AI. Our founder and team have been deeply involved in predictive analytics for intellectual property since 2007, while our AI has been used by us as principals to generate over $2 billion in financings over $500 million in licensing revenues. We have continued to improve our offerings as the field expands.

The exponential growth of and trust in AI since the launch of ChatGPT has been great for IPwe. As people become more familiar with incorporating AI into their everyday lives, we see legal and IP professionals also becoming more comfortable using AI for patent analytics and valuation in particular.

You have been entrusted with patent work by companies at the top of their industry. What are the crucial skills for a top-level IP professional to hone?

Top IP professionals must understand the massive value they are holding and building for their companies and become better promoters of it. We see a general tendency to ignore what innovation means to the company’s bottom line as this is so hard to quantify; intangible assets like intellectual property are not tracked like a typical depreciating, tangible asset on the corporate balance sheet. Top-level IP professionals must thus develop the ability to communicate what value they and their employees are generating across the corporation to demonstrate their worth to the company’s bottom line. This will change the narrative and the company’s view of the IP department, moving from solely a cost centre to a value-generation engine.

What are the key metrics for measuring a successful IP strategy?

Quality over quantity every time, measured on each asset as well as the overall portfolio across all forms of intellectual property as it relates to the products, brands and the company, including in comparison to peers.

How have client demands changed during your career, and how do you expect them to change again in the future?

Clients have consistently required more proof of value, trust in metrics and transparency in negotiations when doing IP deals. This theme is going to continue to proliferate as our world becomes more decentralised and moves towards Web3. I’m proud to be at the forefront of the IP digital transformation revolution, providing transparency, reducing friction and creating an efficient IP market that benefits innovators and society as a whole.