Roya Ghafele

Austria flag Austrian

22+ years of experience

Language:

English, German, French, Italian

Present Function:

Managing Director, OxFirst Ltd (Law & Economics Consultancy) — 2011–present. 

General Expertise:

Technical Expertise:

Certifications and/or licenses

Accredited Expert Witness to the Courts of England & Wales (since 2016)

Professional legal or litigation experience related to the scope of competence of the PMAC

She has over 20 years of experience in litigation economics, including serving as an expert witness in complex commercial and intellectual property disputes. Her experience includes involvement in FRAND royalty determination proceedings before courts in Germany and France (2024) concerning Wi-Fi technologies in the ICT/telecommunications sector; participation in FRAND litigation before the courts of England and Wales (2022–2023); work relating to patent damages assessment in Germany (2022–2023); economic expert support in SEP/FRAND proceedings before a European apex court (2019–2020); and preparation of expert affidavit evidence in North American class action proceedings concerning FRAND and wireless technologies (2020–2023).

Professional technical experience related to the scope of competence of the PMAC

Independent economic expert (non-technical) in patent disputes—royalty setting, damages quantification, licensing valuation.

Years of service: 2003–present.

Institution/employer: OxFirst Ltd (Managing Director, 2011–present); previously WIPO (Economist, 2003–2007) and OECD (Economist, 2002–2003).

Technical field(s):

Information & Communication Technology (SEPs/FRAND; Wi-Fi 4/5/6) — economic analysis of comparable licences, top-down and contribution-based methods; portfolio apportionment; rate bands and sensitivity ranges used in court proceedings.

Pharmaceutics / Life Sciences — licensing and valuation models reflecting exclusivity windows, lifecycle value, indication expansion, and post-expiry step-downs; support for portfolio transactions and licence negotiations.

Other relevant information: Provide decision-useful models and exhibits for tribunals/parties (BATNA/WATNA trees, scenario tables, damages ranges) that align with PMAC’s mandate to resolve patent disputes and related economic issues.

Memberships and/or accreditations

Expert Witness Institute; National Expert Witness Institute; CIPA (affiliate); Licensing Executives Society; St Cross College & Oxford Law; Oxford IP Research Centre.