Intellectual Property Experts Daniel Mendez and Tim Robbins Join Openwave (OPWV); Elizabeth Rushforth Appointed to General Counsel

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Openwave Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:OPWV), a global software innovator and the inventor of the mobile internet, today announced the strategic hires of intellectual property experts Daniel Mendez and Tim Robbins, who will serve as general managers of Openwaves IP patent portfolio business, and will report directly to Openwave CEO Mike Mulica. Openwave also announced the promotion of Elizabeth Rushforth to vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, reporting to Openwave CFO Anne Brennan.

Mr. Mendez and Mr. Robbins worked closely together at Good Technology to execute a successful patent strategy that resulted in approximately $350 million in license revenue for the business.

We continue to make strides in our intellectual property business, evidenced by our recent licensing agreement with Microsoft. The addition of Tim and Daniel positions Openwave with a world class team that will chart the strategy to accelerate and broaden our IP initiatives. This is another positive step for Openwave, said Mike Mulica, chief executive officer of Openwave Systems. Elizabeth brings a wealth of legal, corporate governance and business expertise to her new role, as well as a track record of success at Openwave in managing complex transactions. I look forward to her leadership of the legal team.

Daniel Mendez

Mr. Mendez co-founded Visto (now Good Technology) in 1996, and has been instrumental in developing leading industry technologies. He is the principal inventor of multiple patents related to remote access, security and remote synchronization.

Prior to Good Technology, Mr. Mendez was vice president and chief technology officer at American Management Systems, where he managed large-scale projects and was involved in the AMS Center for Advanced Technologies. Before AMS, he served in a variety of technical leadership and management roles, including director and senior technical consultant, at Cambridge Technology Partners.

Mr. Mendez holds an A.B. in computer science, with a concentration in cognitive psychology from Harvard University.

Tim Robbins

Mr. Robbins served as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Visto Corporation, which acquired and merged with Good Technology, from 2004 to 2011. He has a proven track record of solving complex legal and business problems, and extensive experience in managing and settling high-profile multi-jurisdictional IP litigation. He also brings substantial cross-border transactional experience, with licensing and corporate transactions completed in over 30 countries. Prior to Good Technology he worked as an attorney at Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin and Hachigian.

Mr. Robbins holds a B.A. in business/economics from the University of California Los Angeles and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Elizabeth Rushforth

Ms. Rushforth brings more than 15 years of legal expertise with an emphasis on corporate, securities, compliance and governance to Openwave. She most recently served as Openwave's associate general counsel, and also served as Openwaves interim general counsel from 2008 to 2009. She replaces Bruce Posey, Openwaves general counsel since 2009, who has resigned from Openwave.

Prior to joining Openwave four years ago, Ms. Rushforth worked as corporate counsel at Sunrise Telecom Incorporated, a telecom management solution provider. She was also the founder of Kent Law Group pursuant to which she acted as outside general counsel for several start-ups in Silicon Valley.

Ms. Rushforth holds a B.S. in management from California State Polytechnic University and a J.D. from the Washington University School of Law. She is also a member of the California, Missouri and Texas state bars.

About Openwave

Openwave Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:OPWV) is a global software innovator and the inventor of the mobile internet. Openwave established many of the foundational patents that allow mobile devices to connect to the Internet. Over the years, the company has built a patent portfolio of approximately 200 patents covering many innovations spanning smart devices, cloud technologies and unified messaging. Today Openwave provides all-Internet Protocol (all-IP) mediation and messaging solutions that enable communication service providers to create and deliver smarter services.

Building on its mobile data heritage, Openwave mobilizes the Internet with data-driven solutions that comprehensively enhance IP traffic and increase the value of the mobile network. Openwave arms its customers with a 360-degree view of network activity plus the tools to help them proactively optimize network resources (Congestion Control), react to user behavior with smarter data plans and services (Price Plan Innovation), and deliver a contextually relevant messaging experience (Converged Messaging).

Openwave is a global company with a blue chip customer base spanning North America, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. It holds Openwave is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California.

Openwave is a trademark of Openwave Systems Inc. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

Openwave Systems Inc.
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Mike Bishop, 415-217-4968
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Vikki Herrera, 650-480-6753
Vikki.Herrera@openwave.com

Source: Openwave Systems Inc.

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