Earlier today Director David Kappos sent an email to USPTO employees, announced that his departure from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office around the end of January 2013. In the email he wrote:
Dear Colleagues,
It has been an immense privilege to lead the PTO, our nation’s innovation agency, over the last three and a half years-and it is with deep gratitude for your dedication and hard work that I write to inform you that I will be leaving the Agency around the end of January 2013.
I cannot thank you enough for your hard work over the years-and I wish you all the very best ahead.
Prior to joining the PTO in 2009, Director Kappos worked for SIIA-member IBM as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Intellectual Property Law. During his tenure with the PTO he oversaw enactment of the most significant reforms to the patent system this century. We are grateful to Director Kappos for all the improvements to the patent system that he spearheaded during his term as Director and all the hard work and leadership he provided as the “face of the patent system” in the U.S. and abroad.
Keith Kupferschmid is General Counsel and SVP, Intellectual Property Policy & Enforcement at SIIA.