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Law360 (May 1, 2020, 11:45 PM EDT) --
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| Jeremiah Chan |
Today's perspective comes from Menlo Park, California-based Jeremiah Chan, director and associate general counsel, head of patents, at Facebook Inc.
What challenges has the pandemic created in your specific area of work?
At Facebook, the patent team stays closely connected to our engineering teams in order to maintain a deep understanding of product roadmaps across different technology areas. This allows us to continually assess and mitigate patent risk for the company. While we normally meet in-person with our technical teams on a regular basis, the pandemic has forced us to adapt our engagement model from in-person meetings to video conferences.
A personal challenge for me is managing a team who expects to continue performing at pre-pandemic levels while simultaneously juggling home-schooling, caring for family members, and managing the stress and anxiety of this time. It's important to remember that our health and safety should be the top priority at this time.
How are you and your family adapting at home?
Compared to all the people who have lost loved ones, are unemployed, or are facing a number of other challenges as a result of COVID-19, I would say that my family and I are doing just fine. We're healthy and have plenty of food (and toilet paper). There are definitely challenging moments with five people under a single roof, but I think we all appreciate the quality time together. I'm grateful for this family time, and I'm especially grateful for all of the front-line workers like my brother, Dr. Micah Chan, who are risking their lives to treat COVID patients.
What is the most creative or productive response to the crisis you've witnessed so far?
I have been very proud of Facebook's immediate and ongoing response to COVID-19 — partnering with the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other health organizations to connect people with accurate information, donating millions of dollars to COVID relief efforts, health care workers and struggling businesses, and leveraging our platforms to empower communities and help people stay connected. It's wonderful to see our company make a positive impact in so many ways, and it's also awesome to see how Facebook has empowered others to make a difference.
Two students from my son's high school were winners in the #BuildforCOVID19 Hackathon. They created an online volunteering platform that allows high school students to remotely volunteer with elementary school teachers and help them create digital resources for online education during COVID school closures. I'm always amazed to see the convergence of innovation and empathy to make a positive impact in the world.
The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization, its clients, or Portfolio Media Inc., or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.
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