Posts Tagged: "Joe Matal"

The second (lunch) keynote was from a patent fan: Senator Chris Coons (D-DE). By now, I have heard him speak on several occasions and it is always welcome to be reminded that the patent system has an advocate on the Hill. If only more could be recruited to his point of view. He spoke of the constitutional pedigree of our patent system, how well it has worked to achieve it goals over the years, and how the system has been steadily undermined in recent years. He gave a cogent summary of the Supreme Court harpooning of the patent system: eBay: no injunctive relief; Bilski: software tossed aside; Mayo: diagnostics sidelined; Myriad: discoveries eliminated; Alice: finishing off what Bilski started. Combine this with the AIA, and you have a rout. The only solution going forward is for Congress to address these issues. Waiting for the Courts is too too slow, and potentially fatal to the system as users sign-off, and the initiative in technology lost to others who have maintained and improved protection for the same subject matter.

Mr. Matal opened his discussion stating his belief that independent inventors are the lifeblood of American innovation. He said that a patent is a property right and that whether an inventor actually manufactures the invention or seeks to license it, the rights provided by the patent should be the same. Having said this, he still believes that the PTAB should be able to invalidate a patent, but he did say that it is definitely time to look at the PTAB closely and see what can be done to make it operate more fairly. While he reiterated several times he is only acting and a permanent replacement has been nominated, he said that he would be surprised if this didn’t happen.

Despite going on with the protest after the USPTO denied a use permit application for the event, a source from the event reports that all planned aspects of the protest, including the burning of patents in clear view of the USPTO, occurred without anyone going to jail… Inventors went to the front steps of the USPTO and lit their patents on fire. According to Landreneau, a total of six patents were burnt in this manner.

Inside the beltway Matal is a well known entity, having served as a Staffer in the Senate and responsible for ushering the America Invents Act (AIA) through the Senate… we are hearing some say that Matal has no patent experience, which is simply not true. While we have not always agreed with Matal (particularly during the AIA debates) there is no doubt that he does have sufficient patent experience for the position, although not patent prosecution experience. Matal is likable, knowledgable, and has been a key assistant to several powerful Republican Senators. While the track record of Staffers coming to run the USPTO many not be great in the opinion of many patent practitioners, Matal taking over the Office in the interim should be well received by politicos who have wanted loyalists to be put in positions of authority at agencies.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has named U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Associate Solicitor Joseph Matal to perform the functions and duties of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. The position is effective June 7, 2017 and follows the resignation of Michelle K. Lee. Matal will serve in this role during the nomination and confirmation process for a new Director.