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.
As an Associate Solicitor in the USPTO’s Office of
Solicitor, Matal has briefed and argued appeals of patent and trademark
decisions before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S.
District Court, and assisted in the development of legal positions taken
by the U.S. Solicitor General in patent and copyright cases before the
U.S. Supreme Court. Matal recently served as acting Chief of Staff for the
agency, and has advised the director on legislative matters.
Matal previously served as the General Counsel of the
Judiciary Committee for former Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), and as a Judiciary
Committee Counsel to former Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ). In that role, he was the
principal staff drafter and negotiator of legislation that became the
Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, the first comprehensive patent law overhaul since
1952. Matal has a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, and a law degree
from the University of California at Berkeley.
|