Mark Foster
Business Lawyer
California
CA
About
I led Duke University spinoff Volumetrics Medical Imaging in our decade-long successful patent enforcement campaign, stopped patent infringement and licensed patents to worldwide ultrasound industry.
35years+ in Silicon Valley, Tokyo, Research Triangle.… read more Served as Special Counsel to US Embassy, Tokyo. AV Rated©.
♦ Outside & Inside General Counsel ♦ Disruptive New Venture Creation | Management ♦ International Trade Agreements ♦ Corporate Governance ♦ Commercial | Regulatory | Trade Policy ♦ Corporate Legal Infrastructure Development ♦ International and Domestic Negotiation ♦ Litigation Management
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Client Reviews
"When I start a company or Board service, I bring in Mark Foster. I don’t start or run a company without Mark. -William “Bill” New, MD, PhD, inventor of pulse oximetry, Co-Founder of Nellcor; Founder Natus Medical (neonatal hearing screening); BOD member and CTO Protocol Medical; Founding BOD Chairman Volumetrics Medical Imaging"
"We hired Mark to lead our effort to enforce our patent rights on real-time 3D/4D ultrasound technology, 40 years of my research. Under his remarkable decade-long leadership we licensed our patents to the entire ultrasound industry worldwide, validating our inventorship of the modern medical ultrasound machine, and bringing us a substantial financial return. Olaf von Ramm, PhD, Duke University Engineering and Medical Schools, co-inventor of real-time 3D/4D medical ultrasound machine, Co-Founder, Volumetrics Medical Imaging, Inc"
"When Welch Allyn acquired Protocol Medical, we relied on Mark's expertise, given his role as outside General Counsel to Protocol prior to acquisition by Welch Allyn. -Steve Meyer, former President and Chief Executive Officer and Director of Welch Allyn, Inc"
Work History
Law Offices of Mark Foster
Founder & Managing Partner (www.markfoster.com)
Jan 1988 - Present
My firm's been in Silicon Valley since 1988. We handle domestic & international business & commercial law. I've been a member of 10 startup teams taking the companies from founding to IPO or sale.
In 2001 I joined Natus Medical as GC upon our IPO. From 2005-12, I led Volumetrics Medical Imaging, inventor of 4D medical ultrasound, as President, GC, CFO.
I resumed my Law Office in 2016.
Volumetrics Medical Imaging, Inc.
General Counsel, Secretary, President, CFO
Jul 2005 - Dec 2015
Volumetrics Medical Imaging Inc. (VMI) invented 4D medical ultrasound imaging at Duke U.
Mark Foster led VMI for a decade to successfully force GE, Siemens, Toshiba, Philips & Samsung to stop infringing and, instead, to legally license VMI’s real-time 3D/4D patents.
Foster’s leadership produced a substantial return in patent license income to VMI employees and investors including Duke Univ.
Natus Medical, Inc.
General Counsel; Secretary; EVP for HR, Regulatory,Quality, Manufacturing; Acting CFO; Chairman Natus UK and Natus Japan.
Nov 2001 - Jul 2005
Natus Medical invented newborn baby hearing screening, now a standard of care globally. I was on Natus' startup team. We took Natus public 2001.
As GC, I handled all domestic and international legal & regulatory matters. I wrote SEC, FDA, & foreign filings. I served as acting CFO for a year.
I managed Corporate Governance & Board issues, working closely with founder William New, MD,PhD.