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.
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 Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) is an administrative tribunal within the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The TTAB is empowered to determine the right to register a trademark. It has no authority to determine the right to use one,nor broader questions of infringement,unfair competition,damages or injunctive relief. The TTAB decides ex parte appeals from decisions by USPTO Examiners denying registration of marks,and inter partes proceedings challenging the registration of marks. Decisions of the TTAB may be appealed to a United States district court,or to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
The Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) was an administrative law body of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) which decided issues of patentability. Under the America Invents Act,the BPAI was replaced with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB),effective September 16,2012.
The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA),headquartered in Crystal City,Arlington,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,born July 5,1968,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.
The Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) is a set of initiatives for providing accelerated patent prosecution procedures by sharing information between some patent offices. It also permits each participating patent office to benefit from the work previously done by the other patent office,with the goal of reducing examination workload and improving patent quality.
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.
David "Dave" J. Kappos is an attorney and former government official who served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) from 2009 to 2013. Kappos is currently a partner at New York law firm Cravath,Swaine &Moore.
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).
Margaret A. (Peggy) Focarino was,between November 21,2013,and January 12,2014,the head of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). She was appointed in January 2012 after serving as both the Deputy Commissioner for Patents and Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations.
Margaret Judith Ann Peterlin is an American lawyer,United States Navy veteran,and former Commerce Department and congressional aide. She was the Chief of Staff to the United States Secretary of State,appointed to the position by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson,from February 2017 until the end of March 2018. Since July 6,2018,she has served as the senior vice president of global external and public affairs for AT&T.
Andrei Iancu is an American-Romanian 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 January 20,2021.
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).
