Thomas C. Rubin

Thomas C. Rubin is a highly experienced intellectual property attorney with a focus on technology law, content, innovation, and internet-related legal issues. His practice areas encompass copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and broader IP strategy, including navigating the intersection of content and technology, particularly with the rise of artificial intelligence. He currently serves as the Chief of Intellectual Property and Content at OpenAI, where he is responsible for products, partnerships, and policy.

Throughout his career, Mr. Rubin has predominantly represented operating companies on the defense side. For over 15 years, he was Chief Intellectual Property Strategy Counsel at Microsoft, leading product development, global policy, and complex litigation strategies across divisions like Windows, Office, Azure, Xbox, and Bing. In this in-house capacity, he appeared as counsel for Microsoft in cases such as Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Microsoft Corporation. Following his tenure at Microsoft, he was Special Counsel at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, advising companies on these critical intellectual property matters. Earlier in his career, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he was one of the nation's first prosecutors of computer, electronic, and intellectual property crimes. He also practiced media law at Debevoise & Plimpton, representing clients like Sony Corp. in digital audio tape recorder class action copyright litigation.

Mr. Rubin has led significant collaborative efforts, including authoring amicus briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court and the California Supreme Court, and was recognized with the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Corporate Alternative Dispute Resolution Award in 2010 for his leadership in establishing the landmark User Generated Content Principles. While his extensive IP experience includes strategic litigation and enforcement, specific appearances in Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) or Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings are not explicitly detailed in available public records. He is admitted to practice in New York (since 1989) and Washington (since 2003). Mr. Rubin earned his undergraduate degree from Yale College and his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.