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Panitch Schwarze Hires Executive Technology Attorney

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PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Intellectual property law firm Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP is pleased to announce that Larry Cullen has joined the firm as Counsel. As Vice President of Intellectual Property in the fast-paced, high-tech communications business Cullen has successfully managed the full gamut of legal and technology issues, established business strategies, enhanced innovations, and mitigated risks from IP claims. As an experienced, trusted advisor in the high-tech industry, Cullen brings a full understanding of in-house concerns and a depth of experience for creative solutions to help clients succeed in the competitive marketplace.

“We are delighted to welcome Larry to our team,” said Panitch Schwarze partner Travis W. Bliss, Ph.D. “His extensive experience developing IP strategy for major tech companies makes him ideally suited to helping our clients protect their most valuable assets. We look forward to providing our clients with the benefit of his deep insights into comprehensive technology and business protection.”

As a skilled technology advocate, Cullen has obtained numerous patents that were successfully litigated, resulting in a range of outcomes from competitor injunctions, cross licenses, and settlements. With strategic counseling and patent protection, Cullen’s companies rose to become No. 1 in market share in their respective industries. Cullen specialized in strategies for protecting innovation by creating high value, litigation-ready patents for products, coverage of standards (SEPs in video, broadcasting, WiFi and others – including evaluation and entry into patent pools), and competitor tracking. Patent portfolios created with Cullen’s involvement have been attributed to a valuation of over $12 billion dollars for one company acquisition.

As Vice President and Lead Counsel for the past decade, Cullen has successfully helped C-suite executives navigate through many risks to clear the path for product sales and margin preservation. He has successfully led many freedom of action reviews and design arounds to avoid injunctions and “bet the farm” litigation threats. Cullen specializes in NPE management, business licensing and cross licensing, RAND licensing and litigation strategies. Cullen has settled dozens of multi-million-dollar IP claims for steep discounts or zero costs with NPEs and operating companies. He has successfully negotiated revenue generation licenses, including product manufacturing licenses, cross licenses, and entered numerous patents into patent pool licenses.

As the IP executive overseeing use of IP, Cullen has negotiated with many Fortune 50 companies on IP terms (IP ownership, indemnity, warranty, escrow, etc.) in many agreements, including in master purchase agreements (MPAs) and master supply agreements (MSA) worth billions of dollars. He successfully negotiated and drafted many joint development agreements, technology evaluation agreements, software license agreements, including SaaS agreements, university sponsorship agreements and trademark co-existence agreements. Cullen prepared company templates and training materials and trained other attorneys to negotiate IP terms in commercial agreements and licensing agreements.

Cullen provides in depth IP counseling and has established and implemented company strategies, policies and initiatives as Vice President of IP. He was integral in pursuing numerous multi-billion-dollar M&A’s, determining IP terms, survival of or extension/divestment of rights in licenses, and IP portfolio separation. Cullen created and managed legal budgets, invention disclosure systems and processes, and IP awards policies – resulting in a substantial increase in the IP portfolio. Cullen established and managed company open-source software (OSS) policies and the OSS review board, as well as mitigating OSS use claims – resulting in successful product launches and continued sales. He evaluated and completed many transactions purchasing or selling patents, and successfully performed portfolio mining – mining older portfolios to against newer technologies.

“I am excited to join the team at Panitch Schwarze and help clients secure the best possible protection and value for their intellectual property,” said Cullen. “Innovation is essential to business growth in the tech sector, and shrewdly navigating patent and copyright law is key to protecting innovation effectively. I look forward to using my insider knowledge to ensure our clients protect their innovations and are positioned for the best possible success in the dynamic marketplace.”

Before joining Panitch Schwarze, Cullen served as Vice President of a multi-billion-dollar world leader in broadband networks, content distribution and telehealth devices, specializing in many core technologies including: audio, video, compression, encryption, data management, virtual and augmented reality, AI, streaming, WiFi, security, broadband networks and networking, UIs, user customization generation engines, optics (PON, GPON), and telehealth devices. Cullen masterfully managed all aspects of IP generation, monetization, IP claims, indemnification, and technology agreements. His experience as a business insider ensures a full understanding of company concerns, including protecting product sales and margins, continual development of innovations and creating a path for success.

Cullen has supported many industry organizations, standard development organizations (including IEEE) and served as a board member of multiple patent pools, including OneBlue, HEVC, VVC, and HDMI Forum and owner representative for MPEG LA. He has also served as a former patent examiner for the United States Patent and Trademark Office and intern at the United States Copyright Office.

Cullen earned his J.D., cum laude, from Catholic University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

About Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP – Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP is a boutique intellectual property law firm with offices in Philadelphia, Wilmington, Delaware, and Alexandria, Virginia. The firm’s IP law practitioners provide strategic litigation, licensing and counseling services relating to patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, domain names and internet issues domestically and internationally. The firm’s long-standing relationships with a network of associates worldwide enable its attorneys and advisors to provide clients with global intellectual property advice and protection.

Contact: Sarah Larson

sarah@furiarubel.com / 215.340.0480

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SOURCE Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP

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Zifo Transforms Ontology Engineering with AI-Powered Intelligent Automation

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Advanced AI solution speeds up ontology creation by 80%, generating structured, interoperable knowledge models for science-driven organizations.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and CAMBRIDGE, England, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Zifo, the leading global enabler of AI and data-driven enterprise informatics for science-driven organizations, has developed an Intelligent Automation solution for Ontology Engineering, which is designed to seamlessly generate structured, interoperable knowledge models while accelerating ontology creation by 80%.

Overcoming the Bottlenecks of Manual Ontology Creation

Manual ontology creation in the biopharma industry has traditionally been a time-consuming process that requires specialized expertise. Organizations frequently struggle with semantic ambiguity, complex integration challenges, and limited scalability, resulting in workflows that can take weeks to complete. Zifo’s AI-powered automation tackles these challenges head-on by eliminating 80% of the manual work through automated class generation, description creation, and precise IRI mapping.

Addressing the Complexities of Semantic Knowledge

Developing comprehensive knowledge models often demands deep domain expertise to define relationships and align terminology. Zifo’s intelligent solution overcomes this by providing an AI-guided workflow featuring an intuitive interface, meaning specialized ontology engineering knowledge is no longer required. By leveraging LLM-powered generation, the solution creates precise definitions with a deep understanding of domain-specific context, while generating standardized synonyms and establishing controlled vocabulary alignment to eliminate inconsistent terminology.

A Solution Designed for Scalable Scientific Data Modeling

The AI-powered solution addresses critical format compatibility and integration points in ontology management:

Seamless Integration: Automated mapping connects directly to established ontologies, including NCIT, CHEBI, OBI, and EFO, via BioPortal and OLS APIs.Massive Scalability: Parallel processing and batch operations empower teams to execute large-scale ontology projects without performance limitations.Automated Hierarchies: The AI autonomously generates semantic relationships and parent-child hierarchies based on domain context and predefined relation vocabularies.Format Compatibility: The solution produces direct OWL/RDF exports with proper URIs, ensuring seamless downstream integration.

Unique Features include:

Multi-Source Integration: The solution combines BioPortal, OLS, and EMBL-EBI APIs to guarantee comprehensive ontology coverage.Intelligent Ranking System: The system uses AI-powered relevance scoring and justification for precise ontology mappings.Precise IRI Mapping: It ensures that each generated class is linked to the correct IRI, directly promoting semantic web compatibility.Human-in-the-Loop Design: The solution automates repetitive tasks while maintaining vital expert oversight.End-to-End Workflow: Users are guided through a complete pipeline, from initial domain knowledge input straight to exportable OWL files.Visual Knowledge Graph: An interactive graph visualization allows for intuitive relationship exploration and validation.Multi-Format Exports: Provides seamless export options in CSV, OWL, or HTML Ontograph formats for downstream use, collaboration, and visualization.

Strategic Value Across the Scientific Chain

This solution breaks down the traditional barriers of data structuring. Built on a robust backend of Python, LangChain, and leading LLM models, alongside a frontend framework using Next.js 15 and Cytoscape.js for graph visualization, the solution is highly adaptable. Furthermore, future optimization enhancements will include provisions for uploading user-defined classes or semi-ready ontologies.

About Zifo

Zifo is the leading global enabler of AI and data-driven enterprise informatics for science-driven organizations. With expertise spanning research, development, manufacturing, and clinical domains, Zifo serves a diverse range of industries including Pharma, Biotech, Chemicals, Food and Beverage, and more. Trusted by over 190 organizations worldwide, Zifo is the partner of choice for advancing digital scientific innovation.

For more information, visit www.zifornd.comhttps://zifornd.com/practical-ai-blueprints/

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2731415/Zifo_Technologies_Logo.jpg

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zifo-transforms-ontology-engineering-with-ai-powered-intelligent-automation-302758975.html

SOURCE Zifo Technologies

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UNC-Chapel Hill establishes ‘Carolina in the Capital’ with new Washington, D.C. office

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C., April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has opened a new office in Washington, D.C., establishing an expanded presence for the University in the nation’s capital and creating exciting opportunities for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Located at 101 Constitution Avenue NW, the 10,861-square-foot space – coined “Carolina in the Capital” – will support a variety of functions, including educational programming for undergraduate and graduate students, alumni relations and engagement with government partners.

As a leading R1 university, UNC-Chapel Hill annually attracts more than $1.6 billion to the state’s economy to fund research that creates a better quality of life for all its citizens. More than 60% of UNC-Chapel Hill’s total research funding comes from federal sponsors with the majority of that federal funding coming from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is based in the Washington area.

“Carolina in the Capital is a state-of-the-art facility that reflects our commitment to creating experiential learning opportunities for our students and faculty,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “The space is designed as an immersive learning environment where students can translate classroom knowledge into hands-on experience, which has never been more important. The facility also strengthens our ability to support engagement between our staff, alumni, policymakers and partners.”

Supporting students participating in Carolina’s Washington-based academic programs is a priority. For years, students and faculty have relied on temporary or borrowed spaces across the city. The new office provides a permanent home where students can gather, learn and build community while living and studying in Washington. A robust schedule of classes and events will fill the space throughout the year.

The Washington, D.C. region is home to the largest concentration of out-of-state Carolina alumni anywhere in the country. The new office creates a dedicated space to strengthen those connections and support networking, mentorship, professional development and community-building among D.C.-based Tar Heels.

The space will also serve as a platform to bring Carolina’s research and academic expertise into closer conversation with policymakers, industry leaders and member organizations. Carolina is the nation’s 11th largest university in the country based on research volume with primary federal funding coming from NIH and the National Science Foundation (NSF), both based in the D.C. area. Carolina is a proud member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public & Land Grant Universities (APLU), which are both based in Washington.

The office is funded entirely through the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation and does not use any state appropriations.

You can view additional photos of the space here.

Media Contact: UNC Media Relations, 919-445-8555, mediarelations@unc.edu

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SOURCE University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Office of Communications

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Investing.com Acquires Stonki to Accelerate Its Entry into the Agentic AI Era

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The acquisition strengthens Investing.com’s AI capabilities, advancing a next-generation research assistant that can analyze markets, generate insights, and guide investors in real time

NEW YORK, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Investing.com, one of the world’s largest financial platforms used by more than 60 million investors each month, today announced the acquisition of Stonki, an AI-powered investing assistant designed to help traders turn ideas into structured, actionable trading plans.

The move marks a major step in the company’s evolution toward agentic AI, strengthening its ability to deliver faster, deeper, and more actionable market insights to a growing base of more than 300,000 paying subscribers across its InvestingPro suite, the company’s premium subscription offering for advanced market data, tools, and AI-driven insights.

Over the past 12 months, nearly 3 million users have used WarrenAI, Investing.com’s AI-powered financial research assistant launched last year, to perform market analysis, making AI a central entry point into the platform’s ecosystem. With the addition of Stonki, the company is moving beyond traditional AI tools toward agentic systems that can proactively guide users through the investment process.

“We’re entering the age of agentic AI, where the technology moves beyond just answering questions to actively helping investors think, analyze, and act,” said Omer Shvili, CEO of Investing.com. “Bringing Stonki.ai into the fold accelerates our goal of building an agentic platform that will serve as a 24/7 analyst for our users. We are developing this to be more than just a tool; it will be a partner that identifies opportunities, tracks unfolding situations, and surfaces trade ideas even when the user isn’t active—giving our users the kind of edge that was previously only available to professional investors.”

Founded in 2025, Stonki is developing a new category of ‘agentic’ AI for investing, enabling users to turn investment ideas into fully defined strategies with entry and exit conditions, risk management rules, and continuous monitoring.

“We started Stonki because, as investors and traders ourselves, we knew how much time and focus it takes to stay on top of the market and properly manage a day trade, a swing trade, an investment idea, or a portfolio,” said Ulas Bilgenoglu and Itay Verkh, co-founders of Stonki. “We set out to build AI that could carry part of that load by continuously monitoring the market, turning ideas into structured strategies, and helping users make better decisions with clear entry and exit conditions, disciplined risk management, and ongoing tracking. Joining Investing.com gives us the scale, data, reach, and strong AI foundation to accelerate that vision. Together, we can create an experience where AI helps users stay ahead of the market, manage risk, and act with greater confidence.”

The acquisition expands Investing.com’s AI capabilities across both technical and fundamental investing workflows. Stonki’s technology is built around persistent, real-time intelligence, continuously monitoring markets, tracking user-defined strategies, and alerting investors when conditions align, rather than relying on one-off prompts or static analysis.

For active traders, the platform is evolving into a real-time analysis engine designed to support high-frequency decision-making with precision and speed. For long-term investors, it is becoming a central hub for research, enabling users to evaluate opportunities, set personalized alerts, and monitor portfolios based on their individual investment strategies.

Users will be able to define specific conditions, such as a stock crossing a long-term moving average, and have the AI continuously monitor the market, analyze relevant signals, and surface actionable insights in real time. The system will also review portfolios on an ongoing basis, helping investors avoid potential losses and uncover new opportunities aligned with their strategy.

This latest step builds on Investing.com’s broader strategy of expanding its AI-powered suite, including WarrenAI, ProPicks AI, and its recently launched AI Chart Analysis, all aimed at delivering faster, more accurate and more actionable insights to investors.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/investingcom-acquires-stonki-to-accelerate-its-entry-into-the-agentic-ai-era-302756588.html

SOURCE Investing.com

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