Dan McCurdy joins Sisvel to spearhead new project
Luxembourg, 16 September 2026: Dan McCurdy, one of the global IP market’s most prominent names, has joined Sisvel. The former CEO of RPX, who left that role at the end of June, will be the Executive Director of the Patent Licensing Innovation Laboratory – a not-for-profit, evidence-led forum that will explore ways to make patent dealmaking more efficient for licensees and licensors alike.
McCurdy has a worldwide reputation for his expertise in handling complex patent transactions and extensive experience of working with prominent net licensees. He led RPX for eight years and built its membership to over 350 entities, while considerably diversifying the firm’s offering. He also served as CEO of Allied Security Trust from 2008–2014 and founded Patent Freedom and ThinkFire. Past in-house roles include a stint as President of IP at Lucent Technologies and a series of senior positions at IBM. McCurdy was inducted into the IP Hall of Fame in 2021.
The remit of the Patent Licensing Innovation Laboratory is to find ways to reduce friction in the patent licensing market to the benefit of all parts of the ecosystem. It is being designed as a collaborative project in which licensees and licensors play an equal role. As Executive Director, McCurdy will facilitate dialogue among the project participants and work to build consensus around solutions to issues that they identify.
“I could not be more excited about joining Sisvel and to be working on this groundbreaking project,” says McCurdy. “I believe passionately in the importance of bringing all parts of the patent licensing market together to resolve issues that make transactions harder to do, and I think that Sisvel is uniquely placed to help with this task. I cannot wait to get started.”
“This is an incredibly proud moment for Sisvel,” adds the firm’s President and CEO Mattia Fogliacco. “I have sat across the table from Dan in several high-pressure negotiations and always greatly admired his skills, but I never imagined for one moment he might become a colleague. I am also hugely excited by the potential of the Lab project. We will do all we can to enable its success. After all, when the market wins, we as a business do too.”
About Sisvel
Sisvel is driven by a belief in the importance of collaboration, ingenuity and efficiency to bridge the needs of patent owners and those who wish to access their technologies. In a complex and constantly evolving marketplace, our guiding principle is to create a level playing field through the development and implementation of flexible, accessible commercialisation solutions.
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