Digital Assets / Rights Management Expert Witnesses: 5

Chris Silver Smith is an Internet Marketing Expert who has served in lawsuits involving search engine optimization (SEO), search advertising (Pay-Per-Click advertising / PPC), social media, domain names, and more.

Mr. Smith bears the distinction of long occupying the topmost organic rankings for searches for "SEO Expert Witness", establishing that he is a not only able to speak to the theory of search engine optimization, but is also able to practice it. Smith's legal work has enabled his clients collectively to be awarded more than $94 million in their court cases, and his clients prevailed in the majority of cases he has served upon.

Litigation Support - Mr. Smith helps large companies and large brand names protect their marks in trademark infringement cases and online defamation cases. He has served as an expert on behalf of PODS Enterprises, Starbucks, Versace, GoDaddy, Adidas, and others. He does not assist companies involved with gambling, porn, recreational pharmaceuticals, tobacco, alcohol, multi-level marketing, or cults.

Specializations:

Background Experience - Mr. Smith has a diverse background as he was self-taught programming in high school, and was first trained in hypertext, the protocol subsequently succeeded by HTML, which continues to be the dominant markup language for webpages. Smith also learned higher-level C programming language in college, and later went on to work for a decade for Verizon where he ultimately was head of the technology department for one of the company's largest websites. In his roles at Verizon, Mr. Smith performed software development in multiple internet programming languages that included a proprietary Verizon language, PERL, PHP, and JAVA. 

Mr. Smith also provided user-interface design and served as an analyst. He was promoted to overseeing multiple developers and teams for usability research, search engine development, SEO, graphic design, internet analytics, advertising system design, and advanced research. As the company's pioneer in SEO research, Mr. Smith was awarded the company's highest honor, the Individual Excellence Award, for increasing search engine referral traffic and associated revenues. Smith's contribution also resulted in multiple patents awarded for search and presentation technologies.

After leaving Verizon, Mr. Smith worked for a couple of prominent and exclusive internet marketing companies before founding his own agency at Argent Media™.

Chris Silver Smith has long been a writer for Search Engine Land, one of the industry's top news and information websites for search engine marketing, and he has spoken at numerous conferences on his areas of expertise. 

View Argent Media™ Consulting Profile.

Dr. Chris Draper, PhD, PE, is a renowned leader and innovator with a unique focus on safe and effective Artificial Intelligence (AI) Augmented Systems and their impact on privacy, security, and operational appropriateness. A licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) and certified mediator, he combines technical expertise with a deep understanding of legal and policy frameworks.

Litigation Support - Dr. Draper has 24 years of experience developing legislation, regulations, standards, and operational requirements for advanced technology systems in sensitive or ultrahazardous environments. This includes legislation on the legal definitions of cybersecurity programs and smart contracts, standards defining ethical use of AI in legal technologies, and operations requirements that ensure the safety and efficiency of front line works in facilities management and materials processing facilities.

Dr. Draper helps clients understand the value and risks of new or advanced technologies and their vendors; develop strategies for safely and ethically engaging with these technologies; educate and oversee how these technologies are integrated in support of their workforce; and evaluate the effectiveness and risk of system

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience - Dr. Draper serves as a former or fractional expert in the roles of CTO, CEO, and COO in industries ranging from aerospace to renewable fuels, individualized education to property management. He also serves as a Visiting Scholar at Indiana University’s Ostrom Workshop, where he contributes to the Human Impact Unit Standards Working Group and Blockchain Governance Initiative; as a Fellow at the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution, focusing on privacy, data protection, and conflict resolution in digital ecosystems; and has previously chaired initiatives like the American Bar Association’s Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Task Force and Technology Committee, where he developed standards for equitable technology adoption in dispute resolution.

Dr. Draper has authored numerous publications in leading journals and conferences, addressing the legal and ethical challenges posed by AI, online dispute resolution, and data governance. His works, such as "Informational Sovereignty: A New Framework for AI Regulation" and "Ethical Technology Risk: Identifying Reasonable Data Protection for ODR", have shaped discourse in AI law and policy globally. His contributions to Thomson Reuters' Leading Legal Disruption, multiple articles within the International Journal on Online Dispute Resolution, and the chapter "Online Dispute Resolution Data Security" in Online Dispute Resolution - Theory and Practice, Second Edition reflect his commitment to advancing legal scholarship in the age of AI. He has also authored multiple chapters in the upcoming books The Environmental Knowledge Commons: Cases and Lessons for Knowledge Sharing by Cambridge University Press and Governing Artificial Intelligence being published by Brill in early 2025. This “Safe AI Basics” handbook is the training material required for SafetAI Board Member qualification, with content based upon the upcoming “Governing Artificial Intelligence” due out in Q2 2025 by Brill.

View Dr. Chris Draper's Consulting Profile.

Jacob Sharony, PhD, MBA, has over 25 years of experience in Mobile and Wireless Technologies. He is currently an adjunct professor at Columbia University, teaching wireless technologies and applications. He also served as a faculty member of the electrical and computer engineering department and director of the Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology at Stony Brook University. Dr. Sharony held engineering and management positions in diverse technology disciplines at Time Warner Cable, Motorola, BAE Systems, NEC Research Institute, and IBM Research. He has over 50 US patents (pending and issued) and has served on several government expert panels.

Litigation Support - Dr. Sharony provides Patent and Class Action litigation support and expert consulting in mobile and wireless technologies. This includes patent infringement and invalidity analysis, FRAND analysis, writing expert reports, and deposition, and testimony in court. His deep knowledge of target markets, including telecom, healthcare, logistics, transportation, government, hospitality, mobile commerce and supply chain management, combined with extensive expertise in wireless and mobile technologies ensure innovative and successful solutions.

Areas of Expertise:

View Dr. Sharony's Consulting Profile.

Jared K. Stern has 38 years of experience in the field of Digital Forensics. Over the course of his career, he has directed and conducted more than 5,000 digital forensic examinations involving computers, mobile devices, GPS units, cameras, and other digital media in support of civil, criminal, and federal matters. His work routinely includes reconstruction of user activity through artifact analysis, recovery of deleted data, timeline analysis, and attribution of device usage, with findings documented in litigation-ready forensic reports for attorneys and courts. 

Mr. Stern has been retained in numerous matters involving cybercrime and financial fraud, including cryptocurrency-enabled scams, ransomware incidents, business email compromise, and digital asset tracing. He also oversees a full-scale digital forensics laboratory, establishing forensic protocols, evidence handling procedures, and examiner training while supervising teams of forensic analysts on large investigative and litigation support engagements.

Litigation Support - Mr. Stern is court-qualified digital forensics expert, cybercrime investigator, and senior investigative consultant. He is trusted by law firms, corporate counsel, and government entities for high-risk, high-complexity matters requiring rigorous forensic methodology and litigation-grade evidence handling. Mr. Stern is a qualified and accepted as an expert in county, state, federal, and military courts, with experience that includes more than 5,000 digital forensic examinations, fact-witness testimony in more than 500 proceedings, expert opinions admitted in 15 cases, and hundreds of additional expert engagements concluded prior to testimony.  

Areas of Expertise:

Shawn H. Malone, CISSP, CTPRP, CTPRA, is an award winning Information Security and Cyber Risk Expert.  He has over 35 years of experience delivering Cybersecurity Solutions and Third-Party Risk Management Programs to the financial services, insurance, consulting / advisory, and defense industries.  

Mr. Malone has degrees in Electrical Engineering Technology and Network Security.  He co-developed industry leading Third Party Risk Management professional certification. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Third Party Risk Professional (CTPRP) and Certified Third-Party Risk Assessor (CTPRA). 

Litigation Support - Shawn Malone provides effective consulting and advisory support including expert witness services in Cybersecurity and Third Party Risk matters.   His service are available to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant and include high quality reports, depositions, and trial testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

View Security Diligence, LLC's Business Consulting Profile.