Computer Sciences Expert Witnesses: 13

Tony Mason has 34 years of experience helping attorneys solve complex Computer Operating System issues. His experience includes software development, teaching and writing about technology, and working with dozens of companies in a consulting role to solve their problems. 

Mr.  Mason has worked with multiple operating systems including Microsoft Windows, UNIX, and Linux. He is the author of two books, including, Windows NT Device Driver Development, several peer-reviewed papers, and numerous non-peer-reviewed publications. 

Mr. Mason is the primary inventor on 12 patents:

US/9830329 Methods and Systems for Data Storage US/9600486 File System Directory Attribute Correction US/9535759 Work Queue Thread Balancing US/8990228 Arbitrary Data Transformation US/8903874 File System Directory Attribute Correction US/8539228 Managing Access to a Resource

US/8521752 Arbitrary Data Transformations US/8024433 Managing Application Resources US/7809897 Managing Lock Rankings US/7512748 Managing Lock Rankings US/7949693 Log-Structured Host Data Storage US 15/791,486 Methods and Systems for Data Storage

Litigation Support - Mr. Mason has gained extensive experience clearly explaining technical subjects so they are easily understood by non-experts. His expert witness services primarily focus on assisting in the preparation of materials necessary for computer operating systems patent litigation. He provides research, prepares reports, and explains technical terms clearly and lucidly. He is available for depositions and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Distributed Computing Networking Data Storage Forensics Recovery File Meta-data Encryption Compression Computer Security Encryption Anti-virus Authentication Authorization Computer Networks

Blockchain Distributed Systems Network Protocols RDMA Code Analysis Code Analysis Comparison Reverse Engineering Code Failure Analysis Debugging Artificial Intelligence (AI) Machine Learning, Adversarial Learning Reinforcement Learning

View Mr. Tony Mason's Consulting Profile.

Dr. Tal Lavian holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in Computer Science, specializing in Networking and Communications. He is an expert in network communications, telecommunications, Internet Protocols (TCP/IP), LAN/WAN, Streaming media, VoIP, mobile wireless, and Internet/Web technologies. He has over 30 years of experience, has invented over 120 patents, and has co-authored over 25 scientific publications. For 20 years, Dr. Lavian has researched, studied, and lectured at UC Berkeley Engineering. He has served as an industry fellow and lecturer with UC Berkeley’s Industrial Engineering IEOR, Berkeley Engineering’s SCET, UC Berkeley’s start-up accelerator, and SkyDeck, as principal investigator for CRadar.Ai and CTO for Aybell.

Areas of Expertise:

Network Communications - Telecommunications - Internet Protocols (TCP/IP) - VoIP - Streaming Media - Mobile Wireless:

• Communication Networks: Internet protocols; TCP/IP suite, TCP, UDP, IP, Ethernet, 802.3, network protocols, network software applications, data link, network, and transport layers (L2, L3, L4), packet switching, data center network architecture.
• Mobile Wireless: Wi-Fi, 802.11, Bluetooth, MAC, PHY, Wireless LAN (WLAN). Cellular systems, SMS, instant messaging (chat), mobile devices, and smartphones.
• Internet/Cloud: Internet Technologies, Web applications, HTTP, e-mail, SMTP, POP, IMAP, Java, C/C++, file transfer FTP, client-server, cloud computing, distributed computing.
• Routing/Switching: LAN, WAN, VPN, routing protocols, RIP, BGP, MPLS, OSPF, multicast, DNS, QoS, network infrastructure, and network communication architectures.
• VoIP/Streaming Media: PSTN, voice, data, circuit switching, IP telephony, VoIP, SIP, RTP, video/audio conferencing, streaming media.

Dr. Lavian brings both hands-on and academic experience to his work in Network communications, Internet Protocols, design, and architecture. 

Litigation Support:

Dr. Lavian offers expert witness services and provides courtroom presence, clear testimony, and an ability to effectively distill complex concepts into understandable basics and commonsense.

• He has extensive experience rendering reports and testifying in Federal, IPR, and ITC cases in over 140 patent-related cases.
• Past cases have involved leading companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, LinkedIn, Avaya, T-Mobile, AT&T, Ericsson, Sprint, Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, Polycom, Motorola, LG, WhatsApp, Instagram, ZTE, Huawei, Facebook, and Apple.

View Dr. Lavian's Consulting Profile.

Mehdi Tarrit Mirakhorli, PhD, is a Software Engineering professor in the department of Information and Computer Sciences at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Prior to that, Dr. Mirakhorli served as Kodak Endowed Chair, Associate Professor and Director of Research at ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute and Software Engineering Department at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Litigation Support - Dr. Tarrit Mirakhorli is a Subject Matter Expert in Public and Private Sector Litigation Matters. He has served as an expert on various litigations including SME on federal contract disputes, software trade secret misappropriation, and copyright infringements. With extensive academic experience, he excels at simplifying complex technology concepts for diverse audiences.  

Areas of Expertise:

Software Engineering / Architecture Software Design Trustworthy Software Software Trade Secrets Cybersecurity Artificial Intelligence (AI) Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Generative AI Quality Assurance

AI-enabled Software Copyright Infringement Programming Languages and Platforms Source Code Analysis Techniques and Tools Storage and Database Cloud and Web Services Software Security Web Application Distributed Systems Operating Systems and Servers

Dr. Mirakhorli is also the director of Software Assurance Laboratory.  He has been honored with supporting the implementation of President Biden's Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity. 

Dr. Mirakhorli has been an ALTA Distinguished Speaker at Alcatel-Lucent, and has delivered numerous technical briefings to public policymakers, members of Congress, government officials, and the general public. He has carried out various projects of national importance and supported organizations in responding to investigations including OIG.  

Dr. George Edwards, Ph.D. is an expert in Computer Software, Internet Applications, Web Technologies, Mobile Phone/Tablet Applications, Digital Video and Multimedia, Medical and Embedded Software, and Aerospace/Defense Systems. He has more than a decade of experience as a scientist, engineer, and technical consultant to academic research labs, government agencies, technology companies, and attorneys.

Dr. Ewards has authored dozens of articles and papers related to software engineering for scientific journals and industry magazines. He is listed as a co-inventor on two pending patent applications for novel software technology and has served as a software expert witness in patent litigation matters.

• Intellectual property and patent infringement
• Software design/source code audit and review
• Non-performance claims
• Expert witness and depositions

Expert Technologies :

• Programming languages & platforms: Java, C/C++, C#, Perl, Python, PHP, .NET, WinForms, WPF, Visual Studio, Eclipse, Java EE, CORBA
• Internet and web: JavaScript, AJAX, Node.js, Ruby, HTML, XML, CSS, ASP.NET
• Mobile devices & applications: Android, iOS, iPhone, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Palm OS, Java ME
• Multimedia: MPEG, SVG, DVR, Silverlight, Flash
• Operating systems & servers: UNIX, Linux, Windows, Mac OS
• Networking: IMAP, POP, SMTP, DNS, TCP/IP, HTTP
• Databases: RDBMS, SQL, MS SQL Server, MS Access, Oracle, MySQL
• Project management & development methods: Kanban, Lean software development, agile, object-oriented (OO), aspect-oriented programming (AOP), component-based development, COTS integration, requirements engineering, spiral model, UML

View Consulting Profile.

Bert Schiettecatte, MSc/CS, MA/MST, is a Computer Scientist and Software and Hardware Engineer with over 20 years of experience. He is the Founder of Percussa, a pro-audio consumer electronics company with a focus on Audio and Video Processing Applications, Consumer Electronics, and Proprietary Trading.

Litigation Support - Mr. Schiettecatte has been retained for Software / Hardware Engineering and Electronics cases in states throughout the nation. His services include thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed. See CV for Litigation Case List.

Areas of Expertise:

Consumer Electronics Hardware Computer Interfaces and Sensor Technology Wireless Communication Audio Signal Processing Software and Hardware Proprietary Trading Systems for Crypto / Futures Markets IP Litigation Patents / Copyrights Breach of Contract / Warranty Trade Secret Misappropriation Forensic Data Recovery Digital Signal Processing (Dsp) Source Code Review Sensors

User Interface Linux Operating Systems Open Source Storage Software Embedded Systems Firmware Computer Graphics Computer Vision Smart Devices Network Protocols USB C/C++ IoT

Education: Master in Computer Science from Brussels Free University (VUB, summa cum laude) and Master of Arts in Music, Science and Technology from Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA).

Philip J. Isaak, PE, P.Eng., DCDC, RCDD, SMIEEE, is an expert witness, consultant & trainer in the design, construction, procurement, implementation, commissioning & operations of Information Technology, Telecommunications & Critical Data Center Facilities. 

Mr. Isaak provides clear analysis for complex disputes, incorporating industry standards, best-practices and over 20 years of consulting & training expertise working with clients located in 28 countries and territories across 6 continents. 

In recognition of Mr. Isaak’s professional standing, the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest professional association for advancement of technology, certified him to the grade of Senior Member, a level only 9% of IEEE’s over 400,000 global members hold. Mr. Isaak is also an author of several industry standards published by TIA & ANSI/BICSI, whitepapers published by The Green Grid, and the Data Center Handbook published by John Wiley & Sons.

Expert Witness Services

IP, Trade Secrets, Contracts Analysis Design, Construction, Implementation Claims, Damages Defects, Delays, Failure & Quality Control Analysis Failed System Analysis Unfulfilled SLA Analysis

Technical Investigations Claims Preparation & Analysis Expert Reports Settlement Opinions & Strategies Deposition & Trial Testimony

Areas of Expertise:

Providing Cloud Computing Services Colocation Services Construction Data Centers Electrical Engineering Fiber Optic Cabling

Forensic Engineering IT Systems Capacity Planning & Forecasting Life Safety Systems Network Systems, Services & Infrastructure Operating Procedures Telecommunications

View Philip Isaak's Consulting Profile.

C. Matthew Curtin, CISSP  Founder and CEO of Interhack is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. An Expert in Computers and Information Technology, Mr. Curtin and his team at Interhack help attorneys and executives use data and computer technology in high-stakes situations. 

Mr. Curtin's work has been at the cutting edge of the intersection of law and technology. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit relied on Interhack's forensic computing practice and Mr. Curtin's expert opinion when it established standards for application of Federal wiretap statutes to Web technology, In re Pharmatrak Privacy Litigation (see link above). 

Academic references to their work include the Stanford Law Review and university courses throughout the world. Mr. Curtin maintains a regular academic appointment as a Senior Lecturer at The Ohio State University's Department of Computer Science and Engineering. He currently chairs the Recruitment subcommittee of the Business Advisory Network that advises the Ohio Department of Education's standards for technology education in secondary and postsecondary schools throughout the state. 

C. Matthew Curtin's services are available for plaintiffs, defendants, and for the courts directly on technical matters. 

Areas of Forensic Expertise:

• Electronic Discovery
• Preservation and Forensic Analysis of Data
• Complex Analysis of Non-Standard Data Sets
• Investigations
• Data Breaches

View Mr. Curtin's Consulting Profile.

David S. Howell is a Software Engineering expert, focused on Intellectual Property litigation and Contract disputes. As an expert, he has contributed to over 20 cases since 2017, involving such parties as Apple, Amazon, TikTok, and Intuit, as well as software startups. His clients are both plaintiffs and defendants. He has spoken at a number of conferences, including Apple WWDC (World-Wide Developer Conference), NAB (National Association of Broadcasters), the American Film Institute, and One More Thing Melbourne, and has given guest lectures on Computer Science, Engineering Management, and Entrepreneurship at Portland State University and the University of Phoenix.

Experience

Mr. Howell has worked as a lead software engineer or software engineering executive for over 35 years. He has written code and managed engineering teams for macOS, Windows, MS-DOS, iOS, Android, Sony Playstation, Samsung Bada, the web (front and back end), and hardware peripherals. His experience includes six years as an engineering executive at Apple. In 2002, Mr. Howell sold the intellectual property of his first startup, Pablo Media, to Apple. In 2008, he founded Avatron, a leading developer of mobile productivity apps. Under his leadership, Avatron developed and sold dozens of apps for iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows, including two Top Downloaded iOS apps, with millions of satisfied users. Mr. Howell is currently CEO of Avatron and of the Expert Guild.

Education

• Doctor of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, George Washington University, exp. 2026
• Master of Legal Studies in Intellectual Property and Technology Law, Washington University School of Law, exp. 2024
• MS in Computer Science, Portland State University
• MBA, Cornell University, Johnson School
• BS in Computer Science & Engineering, Case Western Reserve University
• BA in Music, Case Western Reserve University

Patents

• 10,706,815 Accelerated secondary display system
• 10,163,422 Accelerated secondary display system
• 9,058,759 Virtual display device drivers compatible with Windows display driver model
• 8,694,888 Method and apparatus for titling
• 7,643,037 Method and apparatus for titling by applying effects to computer-generated characters
• 7,594,180 Method and apparatus for titling by presenting computer-generated characters
• 7,483,041Method and apparatus for titling
• 7,199,805 Method and apparatus for titling

Litigation Support

Mr. Howell is available as an expert Witness for Software Intellectual Property litigation and as a Strategic Consultant. He can contribute to claim construction, source code analysis, and offer expert reports, depositions, and testimony about software engineering and the software development lifecycle.

Mr. Howell’s ideal expert-witness client would be a software development firm entangled in patent litigation. He is also available for engineering, marketing, and strategy consultation. As a consultant, Mr Howell's clients have included Intel, Apple, Samsung, LucasFilm, and Hasbro.

Sam Malek is currently a Software Engineering Professor in the Informatics Department within the School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He has over 20 years of experience in academia and industry. 

Prior to his academic appointment, Prof. Malek worked for several years as a Software Engineer, Software Architect, and Programmer at a variety of companies, including the Boeing Company and PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting.

Results of Prof. Malek's research have appeared in more than 120 manuscripts, which have been published in peer-reviewed scientific conferences and journals. These publications have been cited more than 9,000 times according to Google Scholar. Prof. Malek has received numerous awards for his scientific contributions to the field of computer science, including the ACM SIGSOFT test-of-time award (2020) and the National Science Foundation CAREER award (2013). 

Litigation Support - In his capacity as an expert witness in more than 40 cases, Prof. Malek has come across and testified about a broad range of Software Technologies and Intellectual Property, including Patent Infringement, Trade Secret, Copyright, Breach of Contract, False Claims Act, Software-related Criminal Activity, and Software-related Personal Injury.

Prof. Malek has offered testimony at trial, deposition, and arbitration on more than 30 occasions. He has drafted validity, invalidity, infringement, and non-infrignement reports, and also has extensive experience with breach of contract disputes, often involving software development projects. Prof. Malek has testified in high-stakes jury trials in various US district courts and has submitted declarations and offered deposition testimony to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) in the Inter Partes Review (IPR) of patents.  At trial, he draws on his teaching skills as an instructor to breakdown complex technical concepts in ways that can be explained to non-technical jurors.

Areas of Expertise:

Programming Languages and Platforms Source Code Analysis Techniques and Tools Software Architecture Quality Assurance Mobile Computing Storage and Database

Cloud and Web Services Software Security Web Application Distributed Systems Artificial Intelligence Operating Systems and Servers

Howard J. Cohen, PhD, has over 30 years of experience in Software Engineering, Architecture and Implementation. He possesses particular expertise in Algorithms, Relational Databases, Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) and Software Applications in general. His experience has been in a broad spectrum of technology, in several languages, in a wide variety of applications, and on multiple platforms. Dr. Cohen's background includes Electronic Design Automation, Bioinformatics, Digital Cartography, Banking Systems for Foreign Exchange Traders, and many more. He is the co-inventor on approximately 120 patents.

Dr. Cohen has over 15 years of experience as an Expert Witness. He possesses excellent written and verbal communications skills, including the ability to express himself well in interpersonal contacts, make presentations to large audiences, explain complex concepts clearly, and write well on levels ranging from the scientific to end user documentation. He is available to analyze complex systems, to write clearly about technical issues, and communicate face-to-face in a manner appropriate for any audience to understand the issues, the technology and the point of view. Dr. Cohen has been deposed and testified at arbitration hearings and in Federal Court.

Expert Witness Projects Include:

• Trade Secrets
• Copyright
• DMCA - Digital Millennium Copyright Act
• Patent Infringement
• Source Code Analysis
• Business Practices
• Damages Analysis
• Computer Software Security / Forensics

View Consulting Profile.

Dr. Stephen Castell, Chartered Information Systems Practitioner and Member of the Expert Witness Institute, is Chairman of CASTELL Consulting. He is an internationally acknowledged Independent Computer Expert who has been involved in a wide range of computer litigation over many years. CASTELL Consulting, currently in its twenty-fifth year, provides independent professional consultancy and expert services in Computer Systems, Software, Project Management, Strategy, and Contract Disputes, to a wide variety of international clients and companies. 

As an Expert Witness in computer litigation, Dr. Castell has acted in over 100 major cases including the largest and longest computer software actions to have come to trial in the English High Court. He is the author of the best-selling Computer Bluff (1983), and of The APPEAL Report (1990) on the admissibility of computer evidence in court and the 'legal reliability' of information systems and technologies (with the CCTA).

Dr Castell, award-winning international Professional ICT Consultant and Expert has acted as expert witness in an unusual medical equipment procurement litigation of relevance to the current Covid-19 pandemic and its profound clinical and hospitalisation implications.  The court case, specific details of which cannot be given since the matter is subject to Confidentiality Hearing strictures, was over a dispute concerning due and diligent process undertaken by a major Hospital Management Group, the Defendant in the action, in issuing a Tender for complex diagnostic units, and the Group’s selection of the bid put in by a US corporation, a leader in its field.  That winning bid was challenged by a Claimant, another US corporation, a market competitor to the winning company.  The dispute hinged on whether or not the operational computer software of the winning bidder’s units was compliant with the Hospital Management Group’s strict Tender stipulation that the software had to be identical across all versions of the equipment to be supplied in meeting the Tender requirements.  

Dr Castell’s investigation and analysis of the operational software involved, and his opinion as to the extent that the software was compliant with the strict Tender condition, provided insight and assistance to the parties in reaching a satisfactory settlement.

Brooks Hilliard, CMC, CCP is the only actively practicing expert witness in the world who is both a Certified Management Consultant and a Certified Computing Professional specializing in computer system selection and problem resolution. He has testified more than 30 times as a computer expert witness and has been engaged on more than 90 such matters for both plaintiffs and defendants. Mr. Hillard has done expert witness and consulting assignments in 25 states, and has qualified as an expert witness on computer software and hardware (including ERP, SCM and CRM systems) in both state and federal litigation. His expert witness engagements have included courtroom and deposition testimony in lawsuits, arbitrations, mediations and formal governmental hearings. 

Areas of Expertise:

• Allegations of ERP and CRM system failures and/or defective business software/systems
• Computer Forensics
• Intellectual property
• Valuation of computer hardware, software and services
• Regulatory, Procurement and Tax matters

Michael D'Angelo has over 15 years of experience in Digital Forensics and has built, led and maintain sophisticated forensic analysis teams and labs. His experience extends from data collections, data recovery, advanced analysis and expert testimony. He has analyzed data from thousands of devices and has testified on dozens of cases on local, state and federal cases.

Areas of Expertise: Digital forensics, computer forensics, data recovery, mobile forensics, data collections, ediscovery, forensic imaging, forensic analysis, digital forensic analysis, computer forensic analysis.