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  1. Home
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  3. Lee J. Tiedrich
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Lee J. Tiedrich

Partner
Lee Tiedrich
Washington +1 202 662 5403 ltiedrich@cov.com Download V-card
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Lee Tiedrich is an IP/technology transactions partner at Covington & Burling LLP and co-chair of the firm’s global and multi-disciplinary Artificial Intelligence Initiative. She brings together an undergraduate education in electrical engineering and over twenty-five years of legal experience to counsel clients on a broad range of intellectual property, technology transactions, AI governance, data and other matters, which often involve cutting-edge technologies (such as AI, IoT, VR and AR) and require innovative legal and business solutions. Her work spans several industries, including fintech, digital health, mobility/autonomous vehicles, IoT, consumer products, enterprise, sports, and energy.

Client turn to Ms. Tiedrich for her thought leadership and practical approach on AI and emerging technologies and for her deep expertise with technology matters and transactions. She is a trusted advisor on evolving global policy issues, including with respect to AI governance, data transformation and intellectual property. She also leverages her expertise in this quickly evolving area to advise clients on governance practices for AI and to provide a wide range of product counseling advice. Ms. Tiedrich has guided numerous clients through intellectual property and technology matters arising in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, investment transactions, and securities offerings, and she has pioneered approaches for addressing AI in the corporate context. Ms. Tiedrich also has extensive experience negotiating a broad spectrum of IP/tech transactions, including data collaborations and license agreements, cloud services agreements, patent licenses, content agreements, brand licenses, and hardware and software development agreements. She also counsels clients on strategies for maintaining, protecting, and expanding their intellectual property assets and for navigating privacy and data security matters in transactions.

  • Reliance Industries Ltd in its acquisition of a majority interest in Individual Learning, which operates Embibe, an AI online educational platform.
  • Aristocrat Leisure Limited in $990 million acquisition of Big Fish Games, Inc. 
  • Mexichem, S.A.B. de C.V. on its $1.895 billion acquisition of an 80 percent stake in Netafim, Ltd., the world’s largest irrigation company, from private equity and buyout firm Permira, Kibbutz Magal and Kibbutz Hatzerim. 
  • HPE in its acquisitions of Scytale, MapR, BlueData, and Plexxi.
  • A major software company in a joint venture and licensing transaction with an automotive manufacturer to develop vehicle components containing the vendor’s software.
  • Democratic Data Exchange and Golden State Warriors in technology transactions.
  • Fortune 500 companies on AI governance, product counseling, and commercial agreements addressing emerging AI issues.  
  • QUALCOMM in its $2.5bn recommended cash offer for CSR plc and in the purchase of assets of a UK-based 450 MHz handset design and manufacturing company, including the related intellectual property.
  • Famy Care Limited in the $750 million sale of its women's health business to Mylan Laboratories Limited.
  • UCB in the sale of its specialty generics division to Lannett and, previously, the announced sale to Advent International and Avista Capital Partners.
  • Legg Mason, Inc. in its investment in Precidian Investments LLC, a leader in the creation of innovative financial technology products, specializing in exchange-traded fund and mutual fund development, and associated trading and pricing technologies. 
  • Thomson Reuters Corporation in the divestiture of its Healthcare business to affiliates of Veritas Capital for $1.25 billion and in its acquisitions of Information Holdings Inc. (NYSE: IHI) and Solucient. 
  • BBVA in its acquisition of Simple Finance Technology.
  • Meda AB in its acquisitions of Acton Pharmaceuticals and of MidNite, an OTC sleep aid product.   
  • Johnson & Johnson in a divestiture to Energizer Holdings.
  • Microsoft in its patent monetization transaction with Nokia and Core Wireless involving 2000+ wireless patents. 
  • Grupo Sura, the Colombian financial group, and its affiliate AFP Integra S.A. in the $516 million acquisition of 50% of AFP Horizonte S.A., the Peruvian pension fund, from BBVA.
  • Magticom Ltd., the leading mobile operator in the Republic of Georgia, in its acquisition of retail and corporate ISP cable assets from Caucasus Online LLC.
  • HaloIPT on Qualcomm’s acquisition of its automotive wireless charging technology.
  • National Geographic Society in the sale of its Hampton Brown school publishing business to Cengage Learning, Inc.
  • King Pharmaceuticals in its $3.6 billion merger with Pfizer.
  • Medarex in its $2.4 billion merger with Bristol-Myers Squibb.
  • OptiSolar in its $400 million sale of it project development business to First Solar, Inc.
  • Numerous clients in stand-alone intellectual property and technology agreements, including license agreements, collaboration and development agreements, reseller and supply agreements, and agreements for marketing and exploiting technology-based products and services.   
  • Procter & Gamble in its sale of ThermaCare, a leading over-the-counter heatwrap, to Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, a division of Wyeth.
  • Gleacher & Company, Inc. in the sale of substantially all of the assets of its ClearPoint subsidiary to Homeward Residential, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Ocwen Financial.
  • Charlesbank Capital Partners in its formation of Blacksmith Brands, which purchased the Efferdent, Luden's and PediaCare brands from Johnson & Johnson, and subsequent sale of Blacksmith Brands to Prestige Brands.
  • The UK-based Dunlop Slazenger Group in its disposition of the Maxfli golf brand and related assets to Taylor Made Golf Company.
  • MidFirst Bank in its acquisition of Steele Street Bank & Trust.
  • Illumina in its acquisition of NextBio.
  • Snow Phipps Group in its acquisition of Acentia (formerly ITSolutions).
  • XLHealth Corporation, a provider of health care services, in its acquisition of Leprechaun, LLC.
  • Another major consumer products company in its strategic acquisition and licensing of patents and other intellectual property important for its next generation products.
  • TouchTunes, the largest out-of-home digital entertainment network, in its acquisition of White Rabbit Game Studio, creators of PlayPorTT and developers of portable, on-location game systems.
  • AudioCodes, Inc., an Israeli telecommunications equipment manufacturer, in its US acquisitions of two venture-backed companies: Nuera Communications and Netrake Corporation.
  • New Media Distribution, a Russian-language television programming production and content company, in an equity investment by a Russia-focused private equity fund.
  • National Geographic Society in the formation and launch of the domestic and international versions of the National Geographic Channel in partnership with NBC and Fox.
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Pro Bono

  • Media Counsel to the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
  • Learning and Leadership in Families, Inc. (d/b/a LearnLead), an organization that supports school readiness and success in the early grades.
  • "The State of the District of Columbia Public Schools 2010: A Five Year Update," Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (August 2010), Co-Author
  • The publisher of Checkbook Magazine in connection its PatientCentral website.

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke University Law School
  • Oxford University Press, Peer Reviewer for the Technology, Media and Telecoms Law Books Division
  • Contributor to Law Committee Chapter in Ethically Aligned Design (First Edition), which was published in 2019 by the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems (A/IS)
  • Member of the Board of Visitors for the Duke University Pratt School of Engineering
  • Work Life Law Center, UC Hastings College of the Law, Board Member
  • Dean's Council for Penn Law Women, Member
  • Member of Global Data Commons Task Force
  • Women's Bar Association of DC, member of host committee for 2013 annual dinner
  • The ABA Section of Science and Technology, Past Council Member and Committee Chair
  • Federal Communications Bar Association, past Co-Chair of the Online Communications Committee
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  • Washington DC Super Lawyers, Intellectual Property (2013-2017)
  • IAM Patent 1000 - The World’s Leading Patent Professionals (2012-2015)
  • Recommended by Legal 500 US for Media, Technology and Telecoms - Technology - Transactions (2017) 
  • Recognized by Legal 500 US for IP - Patent Licensing and Transactional (2010-2015)
  • Recommend by Legal 500 US for Intellectual Property - Trademarks: Non-contentious - Full Coverage (2013-2014)

Artificial Intelligence

News, alerts, and industry developments

Artificial Intelligence

Practices

University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., 1991

  • cum laude

Duke University, B.S.E., 1988

  • magna cum laude
  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office