April 7, 2010

Watch USPTO Director David Kappos’ April 6 speech on the future of the USPTO

On Tuesday, April 6, 2010, David Kappos, director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office spoke at Mitchell. In addition to meeting with inventors and leaders of technology companies, Kappos gave a free public talk during which he share his vision for a more innovation-friendly U.S. patent system. With innovation central to all scenarios for economic recovery, Kappos said that intellectual property would be key to pulling out of the current recession. article continues below video player

“American business sectors that rely most heavily on IP protection already account for five trillion dollars of GDP, and they employ 18 million workers,” he remarked at the annual meeting of the American Intellectual Property Association. “This trend will only increase. It’s our job to make that ramp as steep and smooth as possible.” Kappos was on the user side of USPTO throughout a 20-year career with IBM. Most recently, he was vice president and assistant general counsel for intellectual property at IBM, managing the global technology giant’s patent and trademark portfolios. In October 2009, President Obama appointed him director of the USPTO. In that role, Kappos advises the President, Secretary of Commerce, and the Administration about intellectual property matters. He also oversees an office currently struggling with a patent application backlog of more than 800,000, long waiting periods for patent review, outdated information technology systems, and an application process in need of reform. The event was sponsored by Patterson Thuente Christensen Pedersen, P.A. (formerly Patterson, Thuente, Skaar & Christensen), a Minneapolis-based intellectual property law firm, and the Intellectual Property Institute at William Mitchell College of Law.