The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexandria,Virginia,after a 2005 move from the Crystal City area of neighboring Arlington,Virginia.
Bruce A. Lehman served from 1993 to 1998 as Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Lehman is noted for being the first openly gay man to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
A patent attorney is an attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice,such as filing patent applications and oppositions to granted patents.
Cravath,Swaine &Moore LLP is an American white-shoe law firm with its headquarters in New York City,and additional offices in London and Washington,D.C.
In the United States,a design patent is a form of legal protection granted to the ornamental design of an article of manufacture. Design patents are a type of industrial design right. Ornamental designs of jewelry,furniture,beverage containers and computer icons are examples of objects that are covered by design patents.
The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA),headquartered in Crystal City,Arlington County,Virginia,is a U.S.,voluntary bar association constituted primarily of lawyers in private and corporate practice,in government service,and in the academic community. AIPLA represents individuals,companies and institutions involved in the practice of patent,trademark,copyright,and unfair competition law,as well as other fields of law affecting intellectual property. Members represent both owners and users of intellectual property.
The Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property,or USC(IP),is a senior official in the United States Department of Commerce and the principal advisor to the United States Secretary of Commerce on the intellectual property matters. In tandem,the Under Secretary is also the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office within the Commerce Department,filling dual roles.
Jonathan Ward "Jon" Dudas is the senior vice president,senior associate to the president and secretary of the University of Arizona. He previously served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) until January 18,2009. He was nominated to the position by former President George W. Bush in March 2004 and appointed in July 2004. Dudas previously served as acting Under Secretary and Director,and Deputy Under Secretary and Deputy Director from 2002 to 2004. He is also a member of the board of directors of Conversant Intellectual Property Management.
John J. Doll is the former Acting United States Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) due to the resignation of Jon W. Dudas on January 20,2009. Before that,Doll was Commissioner for Patents at the USPTO. He joined the Patent and Trademark Office in 1974.
Q. Todd Dickinson was an Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He was an executive director of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA),and had been mentioned by some sources for possible reappointment to his former post as director of the USPTO by the Barack Obama administration prior to the appointment of David Kappos to that post.
Justin Hughes is an American legal scholar. He is the William H. Hannon Professor of Law at Loyola Law School,Los Angeles,where he teaches courses in intellectual property law,international trade,and internet law. As a scholar he has emphasized philosophical and historical issues in intellectual property,focusing on copyright,trademarks,and geographical indications. He led United States delegations to international negotiations on copyright.
The Leahy–Smith America Invents Act (AIA) is a United States federal statute that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on September 16,2011. The law represents the most significant legislative change to the U.S. patent system since the Patent Act of 1952 and closely resembles previously proposed legislation in the Senate in its previous session.
Teresa Stanek Rea is the former Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and former Acting Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) is an administrative law body of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) which decides issues of patentability. It was formed on September 16,2012,as one part of the America Invents Act. Prior to its formation,the main judicial body in the USPTO was the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI).
Michelle Kwok Lee,born 1965 in Santa Clara,California,was vice president of Amazon Web Services and a former Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Arti K. Rai is an American legal intellectual and former public official. She is currently the Elvin R. Latty Professor of Law at Duke Law School. She was previously a member of the Presidential transition of Barack Obama and subsequently served in the Department of Commerce as a Patent Office advisor. During the early 2000s,Rai was one of the leading academic advocates of patent reform,particularly the creation of a robust post-grant opposition system for U.S. patents.
Andrei Iancu is a Romanian-American engineer and intellectual property attorney,who served as the under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) from 2017 to 2021. He was nominated for both positions in 2017 by President Donald Trump. He left office on January 20,2021. He is currently a partner in Sullivan &Cromwell's intellectual property &technology practice.
Kathi Vidal is an American intellectual property lawyer and former engineer who serves as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
