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As a leader in industrial software, AVEVA leverages its comprehensive technology portfolio to help more than twenty thousand clients automate processes, increase performance, and drive efficiencies. In 2018, the company acquired the industrial software business of Schneider Electric (SE). Although SE became a majority shareholder in AVEVA, its in-house IP team complete with patent and trademark professionals was not part of the transaction. Veteran IP counsel Dev Batta came on board to build a new IP program to power and protect the growing company.
To establish a function that could keep pace with AVEVA without driving costs up, the chief IP counsel had to rely on his years of experience in private practice as well as his background in engineering and computer science. “All I had learned in the preceding decade and my academic background had led up to this moment and prepared me to do exactly what AVEVA needed to build its intellectual property program from the ground up,” he says.
Batta, who was raised in Virginia, exhibited an early interest in math, science, and computers. He took advanced placement classes in high school, scored an 800 on the math portion of the SAT, and attended the University of Virginia. In order to proceed to the school’s emerging and popular computer science program, Batta was required to apply. Batta’s performance won him a spot and started what has become a trend in his career. “I’m at my best when I’m around really smart people who push and drive me to be at the top of my game,” he explains.
Upon graduation, Batta worked as a programmer. He enjoyed the tasks assigned to him but was left unfulfilled. A thirst for more and a passion for continuing education led him to enroll at the George Washington University Law School and specialize in IP.
“All I had learned in the preceding decade and my academic background had led up to this moment and prepared me to do exactly what AVEVA needed to build its IP program from the ground up.”
Dev Batta
About ten years in private practice gave Batta a deep foundation and a wealth of experience he could draw upon at AVEVA when he joined the organization as it finalized the critical deal with SE. “As the first in-house IP attorney here, I realized I could really shape the process and the entire division,” he says. “I wasn’t brought here to fix an existing program but to figure out what to put in place to make things work best for this specific company.”
Batta first focused on raising internal awareness about the importance of IP protection. That culture already existed among the US part of the company that came from SE, but was less prevalent among the legacy AVEVA team in the UK. He identified key allies in the heads of marketing and research and development, and won vocal support from members of his executive leadership team. Before long, Batta’s colleagues companywide understood the need to protect their innovations in the US and abroad.
For the first year of his tenure, Batta worked with little more than this key internal support to handle all emerging IP on his own. Then, he was able to hire a paralegal, and later, a contract attorney and patent attorney. Today, he leads an agile team of four plus manages AVEVA’s insurance program.
In March 2021, AVEVA acquired OSIsoft, a leading name in real-time services related to software and industrial data. The move gave AVEVA a bigger Internet of Things portfolio and added approximately 15,000 employees to the organization.
With volumes and complexities increasing, Batta plans to streamline operations to keep his team nimble and responsive. He’s working closely with Anaqua, a company that provides IP asset management services and solutions. Its trademarked PATTSY WAVE docketing software removes redundancies, improves accuracy, and mitigates risk.
“As your brand grows, you see more small companies pop up and try to trade on your name, and it’s important to prevent that.”
Dev Batta
Batta says his IP strategy is based on protecting the AVEVA name and growing the brand. “As your brand grows, you see more small companies pop up and try to trade on your name, and it’s important to prevent that,” he explains.
AVEVA, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is part of the FTSE 100 Index, has dozens of products that over 90 percent of the top companies in 12 industrial sectors use. Software and novel technologies drive each of those products, and Batta’s team works behind the scenes to identify which underlying technologies should be protected first.
Batta and his colleagues are turning heads and making headlines. The company is partnering with universities to create new STEM curricula, hosting industry summits, and expanding its portfolio. The future is bright for AVEVA, and Batta will ensure his team keeps the company protected.
Greenberg Traurig:
“Congratulations to Dev Batta on the recognition of his legal accomplishments and contributions to AVEVA. Dev is an incredible legal mind and inspiration to many. It’s an honor to call him a client and friend.”
–Jerry Fellows, Shareholder
