Patently-O is reporting that Director Kappos will leave the PTO in late January 2013, capping off 4 years as Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the PTO.
He has led a great transition from the prior regimes of antagonism to patent applicants to the current system of working together to promote openness and problem-solving. Director Kappos has worked hard on his goal of reducing the patent application backlog and pendency of patent application. He has promoted openness with the introduction of the Director’s Blog and the Patent Dashboard on current PTO statistics.
Director Kappos was also a strong advocate of patent reform, culminating with his lobbying for passage of the America Invents Act last year.
His leadership will be missed.
Patently-O is also reporting that current PTO Deputy Director Teresa Stanek Rea will assume the role of Acting Director. She will also likely be nominated for the permanent position. Rea joined the PTO in 2011 with more than 25 years of legal experience. She was previously a partner at Crowell & Moring and held at a number of other prominent IP positions including as a past president of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA). She should bring a great industry and bar perspective to the position.
May 7, 2013 at 11:58 am |
[...] Obama will not nominate a new PTO director until the Commerce Secretary position is solidified. David Kappos left the PTO in January. Teresa Stanek Rea has been Acting Director since that [...]