Thurston, Richard

Dr. Thurston earned his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, having defended successfully his dissertation on China's Civil Law Reform Movement, 1912-1930. He earned his JD from Rutgers School of Law, Camden Division, where he minored in IP law. He also attended Soochow School of Law, Taipei, Taiwan, on a non-degree program. Fluent in Mandarin, he has spent the past 40+ years managing and supporting intellectual property matters at the intersection of global corporate transactions. Dr. Thurston has taught both law and business classes at: SMU School of Law (Dallas, TX); University of Texas, Dallas; Soochow University (Taiwan); National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan); and National Cheng-Chih University (Taiwan).

During Dr. Thurston’s career he served in several law firm and corporate capacities including Vice President Corporate Staff and Assistant General Counsel at Texas Instruments (TI) and Senior Vice President and General Counsel Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). While at TSMC, Dr. Thurston also served as Chief Intellectual Property Officer. Upon retiring from TSMC in 2015, Dr. Thurston joined the New York City office of Duane Morris and went on to establish his consulting practice, RLT Global Consulting LLC, in April 2022.

While at TSMC Dr. Thurston assisted the company in developing its best-in-class intellectual property and trade secret development and protection program (“PIP”). Furthermore, on behalf of TSMC, he successfully initiated major litigation around the world against defendants who had misappropriated TSMC trade secrets. And, he was instrumental in achieving major legislative reform in Taiwan for the protection of trade secrets. Dick also managed TSMC’s compliance program, M&A activities including joint ventures, etc.

Since retiring from TSMC, Dr. Thurston has continued to advise and assist clients on IP matters ranging from litigation, to IP monetization, licensing and promoting trade secret protection. Additionally, he had been advising companies on the rebirth of the competitiveness of the US semiconductor industry, most specially the development and protection of new IP under funding from the US chips plus legislation. Furthermore, he has established and is the CEO of Great Lakes Semiconductor, located in the mid-Hudson Valley Region.

Before joining TSMC, Dr. Thurston was a partner with Haynes and Boone, a Dallas, Texas-based law firm. There, he was Chairperson of the firm’s International Practice Section and he established their Richardson, TX office.  Previously, he had been the Regional Counsel, Asia Pacific, and Vice President, Corporate Staff, Assistant General Counsel at Texas Instruments (1984-1996), resident in Dallas and Tokyo (1987-1990), where Dr. Thurston devoted significant efforts in: promoting and protecting TI’s intellectual property; corporate compliance; mergers and acquisitions; and international trade and investment, among other disciplines.

Dr. Thurston has written and lectured widely on international, transactional, and intellectual property matters, most especially trade secret protection. He has received many awards and recognitions throughout his career. In 2013, he was selected from 800 nominees as the ILO Asia-Pacific General Counsel of the Year.

Dr. Thurston has been honored with many Government appointments and elections including: Appointed by U.S. Department of Commerce (Clinton Administration) as a member of the U.S. – People’s Republic of China Civil Technology Committee, 1999 – 2001, my responsibility was bi-lateral Intellectual Property matters; Advisor to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago on Intellectual Property matters and the conversion of the former US B-52 Airbase into a high-tech park (through association with Lockwood, Greene & Co.) -1997-2001; Adviser to Republic of China (ROC) Intellectual Property Office, 2002 – 2008; Adviser to ROC Ministry of Economic Affairs on Free Trade Agreement Negotiations with the U.S., 2006 – 2007, with special focus on Intellectual Property matters; Member of Taiwan Delegation to APEC in Vietnam, 2006; Adviser to Vietnamese Government on Intellectual Property Matters, 1997-2001; Adviser to the ROC Ministry of Justice on Draft Legislation Establishing an Special Intellectual Property Court in Taiwan, 2004 – 2006; Editor of  the English Translation of the ROC Civil Code of Procedure; and Member Taiwan, ROC APEC Delegation (Hanoi), 2006. Dr. Thurston is also active in local, county and state politics in the State of New York, where he has served as the elected Town Supervisor of the Town of Wappinger, Dutchess County, NY, 2018-2023. In that position he has helped to establish best-in-class intellectual property practices on the municipal level.

Additionally, he is a member of the Advisory Board of the International Law and Technology Institute of The Center for American and International Law, Dallas, Texas (2002-present). He was recognized as; Asia Legal Business’ Top 25 In-House Counsel, Asia Pacific, 2003; Member Trade Advisory Committees for Rudy Giuliani and John McCain Election Campaigns 2007-2008; Member of Board of Directors and Vice President, Licensing Executives Society, Chinese Taipei Chapter, 2007- 2014, 2016-2019; Member Board of Directors, Arbitration Association of Republic of China, 2007- 2010; Member of Board of Directors, Technology Industry Lawyers Organization, 2008 – 2014; Member, Board of Directors Asia Pacific Intellectual Property Association, Taiwan, 2003 – 2014; and Member of the Board of Trustees, Center for American and International Law, 2013 – 2024. Member Dutchess County Bar Association and DCBA Delegate to the NY Bar Association House of Delegates; International Intellectual Property Association (IIPCC) Board of Executive Advisers, 2015 – present. Dr. Thurston serves as an Advisor to Strategy Risks.

An active member of the AIPLA and the Licensing Executives Society (LES), Dr. Thurston accepts speaking engagements world-wide and participates in panel discussions both for AIPLA, LES and at continuing legal education seminars. For example, he will be on an LES International Panel in Dublin, April 2026.

Dr. Thurston’s Professional and Community Service Honors and Recognitions include: Volunteer of the Year, 2000, Technology Business Council, Richardson (Texas), Telecom Corridorâ; AsiaLaw Outstanding In-House Counsel Award, Taiwan Counsel of the Year, 2006 and 2007; and Taiwan Intellectual Property Counsel of the year, 2010. ILO Asia-Pacific General Counsel of the Year – 2013. Selected for inclusion in IAM Strategy 300: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Dr. Thurston has spoken widely and published in many outstanding publications, especially most recently on the US Chips Plus legislation and the state of US-China-Taiwan relations. He is most recently published in the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce, Volume 52, Spring 2025, No.2: Silicon Shortfalls: The Insufficiencies of the Biden Administration’s U.S. Semiconductor Policy in Addressing the Decades-old Decline of U.S. Semiconductor Manufacturing.