Joseph Yao
About Joseph Yao
Joseph Yao is a Senior Intellectual Property Counsel at ExxonMobil, with extensive experience in intellectual property law, open source software, and technology-related legal issues.
Title
Joseph Yao serves as Senior Intellectual Property Counsel at ExxonMobil.
ExxonMobil Career
Joseph Yao has a long-standing career at ExxonMobil, beginning his journey as Counsel from 2011 to 2015 in Fairfax, Virginia. He later took on the roles of Senior Counsel and Senior Intellectual Property Counsel in Houston, Texas, and Spring, Texas, supporting the company in various legal matters related to intellectual property, open-source software, and emerging technologies.
ARCO Experience
Before joining ExxonMobil, Joseph Yao worked at ARCO as a Patent Attorney from 1991 to 1999 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. During this time, he specialized in patent law and contributed to the company’s legal team.
Education and Expertise
Joseph Yao has a distinguished educational background. He earned his JD from Michigan State University College of Law from 1982 to 1985. Additionally, he holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute and Kettering University, achieved in 1970. His expertise spans mechanical engineering, intellectual property law, and legal issues related to emerging technologies like machine learning, bots, and blockchain.
Legal Specializations
In his current role, Joseph Yao supports ExxonMobil's global Information Technology function by addressing legal issues related to open-source software and intellectual property strategy. He is involved in negotiations for software, SaaS, and other license agreements, handles legal challenges in cyber security and data privacy, and manages ediscovery matters for the company.