Sonia Cooper is a senior patent attorney in the IP policy and strategy Group at Microsoft and handles IP policy matters for Microsoft, with a focus on Europe. Cooper is also responsible for patent portfolio development for Microsoft Research in the UK, Israel and Egypt. Prior to Microsoft, Cooper was head of patents at Skype. Before joining Skype, she worked as a patent attorney in private practice in London, having obtained a Batchelor's degree in Physics from Bristol University in 1997 and a Master's degree in Management of Intellectual Property from QMW University in London in 2000.