WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – Michelle K. Lee on Monday became the first woman to lead the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Lee to head the PTO in an unrecorded voice vote more than a week after its judiciary committee approved Lee’s nomination with little opposition.
Lee
Lee, who was nominated to the position in October, served as the deputy under secretary and deputy director of the PTO since last January.
The office had been without a permanent director since February 2013, when David Kappos resigned.
From 2012 to 2013, Lee served as director of the PTO’s Silicon Valley office, which isn’t expected to open until later this year.
Before that, she was the deputy general counsel and head of patents and patent strategy at Google – one of the most vocal critics of the current patent system — for nine years.
Before joining Google, Lee was a partner and an associate at Fenwick & West LLP, from 1996 to 2003, and an associate at Keker & Van Nest LLP from 1994 to 1996.
“Her historic nomination is an American success story, and it is fitting that she is confirmed today to lead the office that is home to countless stories of successful innovation and creation by Americans throughout the country,” said U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., noting that Lee is a daughter of immigrants. Her father, an electrical engineer, worked in Silicon Valley.
Leahy, the judiciary committee’s ranking member, has been a vocal supporter of patent reform.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said both Lee and Daniel Marti, who was picked by President Barack Obama in August to be the intellectual property enforcement coordinator for the White House, have proven track records and are “well respected” by the IP community.
“Their experience and expertise are of the caliber required for their respective positions,” said Grassley, who chairs the judiciary committee.
Brian Pomper, executive director of Innovation Alliance, a group that represents innovators, patent owners and stakeholders, congratulated Lee on her confirmation.
“Ms. Lee has served admirably in the Obama Administration as a voice of reason urging a balanced approach when examining changes to the patent system,” Pomper said.
“The startups, independent inventors, venture capitalists, universities, and companies of all sizes who have voiced concerns with many of the sweeping changes being proposed in Congress can look to her to ensure their perspective is heard in the administration and among policymakers in Washington, D.C.”
Marti, a managing partner at the Washington, D.C., law firm Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, also was confirmed Monday. The Senate, in a full roll call vote, approved Marti 92-0, with eight senators not voting.
As the new “IP czar,” Marti will work with federal agencies, law enforcement organizations, foreign governments, private companies, public interest groups and others to stop illegal and damaging IP theft.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at [email protected].
