Augustine V. Cheng

Augustine V. Cheng is a seasoned intellectual property executive and attorney, currently serving as the CEO and Chief Legal Officer of Skysong Innovations, LLC, Arizona State University's (ASU) exclusive intellectual property management company. In this role, he oversees the commercialization and protection of a broad range of university-generated technologies. His work encompasses diverse technical areas, including cybersecurity, computing, artificial intelligence, multi-band RF devices, reliable grid power, DNA computing, cancer detection, and weight management, reflecting the varied research output of a major university.

Cheng's practice demonstrates engagement on both the plaintiff and defendant sides of patent disputes. While the tracked cases show an even split with two appearances as plaintiff (in-house) and two as defendant (in-house, CEO & Chief Legal Officer), his core responsibility at Skysong Innovations involves actively managing and enforcing ASU's patent portfolio to facilitate the "rapid and wide dissemination" of inventions. This includes initiating patent infringement actions, as exemplified by recent cybersecurity litigation filed by Skysong Innovations as a plaintiff. He also defends the institution's intellectual property and licensed technologies from challenges.

His experience extends to Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings, evidenced by his appearance on the defendant side in Unified Patents PTAB Data v. Skysong Innovations LLC. Prior to his tenure at Skysong Innovations, which began in July 2007, Cheng was the founder and chief counsel of the Patent & Licensing Group in the Office of the General Counsel at Columbia University, where he managed all legal affairs related to patent protection, licensing programs, and litigation. He also gained private practice experience as a litigation attorney at prominent New York law firms Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Schulte Roth & Zabel.

Mr. Cheng holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where he was an associate editor of the Fordham Law Review, and a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Columbia University. He clerked for the Honorable William H. Timbers of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and has been recognized with an "AV/Preeminent Attorney" rating from Martindale-Hubbell.