Google Inc. deputy general counsel for patents Allen Lo is moving to Facebook Inc., according to intellectual property business media platform IAM, filling the vacancy left back in March by the departure of Sam O'Rourke. While specifics on Lo's new role are not yet widely known, IAM reported that Lo's position at the Menlo Park, California-based social media giant will be broader than his role at Google was.

A Google spokesperson confirmed the move to Corporate Counsel on Tuesday, but otherwise declined to comment. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Lo's new position with the company.

In the nearly six years since he joined Google in 2012, Lo has led a team of more than 120 legal and technical professionals while developing the company's patent strategy, building and managing a patent portfolio with more than 50,000 patent assets worldwide, handling patent litigation and disputes, negotiating patent licenses and driving patent policy efforts, according to his LinkedIn page.