Louis Carbonneau

Louis led the legal team that supported Microsoft Research for several years. In that capacity, I worked with him frequently on matters affecting the strategy and operation of the research lab that I managed. My experience with Louis was uniformly positive. He was client-focused and, unlike many corp...orate attorneys in my experience, kept clearly in mind that his role was to provide legal advice and guidance to management, not set himself up as a "gate". He understand the importance of understanding the business of research, not just the legal risks that it might encounter, which made our interactions productive and efficient. Louis also exhibited a "can-do" attitude with the problems on which I consulted him, and managed his team effectively to deliver solutions in a timely way. In short, I can strongly recommend Louis as a capable, conscientious legal partner in a corporate setting. Roy Levin, Managing Director, Microsoft Research Silicon Valley

“When Louis was responsible for IP protection at Microsoft Research, he very effectively led his team to work with the research group managers in identifying and prioritizing key patent cases. Working with Louis was always a pleasure. He is a great communicator and is keenly aware of the importance o...f maintaining communication with his colleagues to get work done effectively. In Louis, you have an wonderful combination of professionalism, dedication, and a great sense of humor. I enjoyed working with Louis and recommend him highly.

Louis was leading MS's IP licensing efforts when we started collaborating. We worked together on closing several deals over a period of 2-3 years. Louis is just a fabulous guy to work with -- tremendously knowledgable of legal issues and simultaneously highly acqainted with business concepts. He is a... patient negotiator, has a fantastic instinct for technology and innovation, understands all common technical concepts in the high-tech world, has great strategies with constructing complex business offerings, and is a fantastic listener. Simply, I cannot find words strong enough to recommend Louis for a position in the IT/technology world where a challenging mix of legal and business issues make it a tough job to find the right person. That person is Louis.

Louis Carbonneau is one of the best people I have worked with at Microsoft. As a researcher, I have interacted with him on intellectual property issues concerning inventions. Louis is clearly an expert in the area. Our most intense interaction had to do with promoting and licensing one of our softwar...e inventions. Louis led our marketing effort energetically, worked with me to develop compelling descriptions of the technology, and engaged potential customers. During our conference calls with prospects, I was always impressed with Louis’ ability to explain the technology and licensing terms very clearly. What impressed me most, however, was his integrity. During these calls, as we were promoting the software package that we created, Louis had several opportunities to fudge the performance details in our favor. He never did. Instead, he was always honest about exactly what our technology could do, but quick to point out its unique advantages. He is pleasant, intelligent, honest, and proactive.

Louis is one of those rare people who have incredible depth of expertise in his chosen profession of law, but also incredibly astute business acumen and technology insight. I worked with Louis to help shape the direction for licensing Photosynth while it was still in a very nascent form and I was ext...remely impressed with how he was able to work with the scientists, engineering and management teams to maximise it's potential to external customers while still very much an emerging technology. Always seeking a win-win situation for all parties involved, his professionalism and forward thinking were inspiring and led to tangible business results for our group.