Posts Tagged: "gary locke"

EDITOR’S NOTE: President Obama’s recently submitted budget would allow the USPTO to hire 1,000 patent examiners during both FY 2011 and FY 2012.  It would also provide an interim fee increase on certain patent fees which is estimated to generate $224 million.  There is no mention of fee diversion, but reading between the lines it seems the budget would allow…

Christmas is coming early for inventors, innovative companies, patent attorneys and anyone in the technology/innovation industry that relies upon patent protection. Faced with a growing backlog and long patent pendency periods in a difficult fiscal environment, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is reaching out to former patent examiners, inviting them to return to the agency.  According to…

Earlier this week Mike Drummond, the Editor in Chief of Inventors Digest, authored an article titled US Senate Votes to Leave Patent Office Underfunded for 2010.  In this article Drummond explained that over the weekend, while no one was paying attention, the Senate voted to leave USPTO funding at the same level in 2010 as it was in 2009, which…

The Wall Street Journal is reporting good news for patent owners, in particular those holding patents on green technologies. President Obama, who is currently attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shanghai, China, along with other world leaders announced that they no longer have ambitions of reaching a binding international agreement on climate change during the United Nations Climate Change…

I am just getting back from two days at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, having attended the 14th Annual Inventors Conference.  There is much to report, and much to write about, and I will continue to digest, analyze and write about what I saw and my impressions in the days to come.  It is, however, undeniable that there…

If you have not already read the letter from Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to Senator Patrick Leahy (Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee) and Senator Jeff Sessions (Ranking Republican Member), you absolutely need to read it to comprehend the massive changes the Obama Administration is supporting with respect to patent reform.  It would be difficult to over exaggerate the magnitude…

On Friday, October 2, 2009. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke appointed Sharon Barner to the post of deputy director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter John Schmid reported yesterday that in a telephone interview with Barner she explained that she is a long time associate of President Barack Obama, knows him personally and has…

I have been saying for months that the logical thing would be for John Doll to retire, and earlier today the United States Patent and Trademark Office announced that after 35 years at the USPTO, Commissioner for Patents John Doll has announced his intention to retire from the agency on October 2, 2009. The retirement announcement also comes with an…

On Thursday, August 13, 2009, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke conducted a ceremonial swearing-in of Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos. In his remarks before thousands of employees on the USPTO campus, Secretary Locke said “David is taking on a big job… Promoting and protecting U.S. inventions, innovation and creativity directly…

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke yesterday announced the appointment of former USPTO official and long-time patent professional Nicholas P. Godici as a special advisor to the USPTO.  On announcing the return of Godici, Secretary Locke said: “I’m counting on Nick to use his decades of experience to help us strengthen the management of the USPTO and identify the areas most…