USPTO Monthly Review -- July 2017

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monthly review

The USPTO's review of major
activities and initiatives in June

united states patent and trademark office

July 2017

Press Releases

Secretary of Commerce Announces Interim Leadership for U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Joe Matal

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.

Read the full press release from the Department of Commerce.

Leadership Blogs

One Year On: Developments in the Protection of Trade Secrets

Shira Perlmutter

U.S. businesses own an estimated $5 trillion worth of trade secrets. Their theft, involving losses in the tens or possibly hundreds of billions of dollars a year, poses a serious threat to our nation’s economy. Because the protection of trade secrets — which by their nature are not patented or publicly disclosed — is critical to the commercial viability of many U.S. businesses, Congress passed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016. The law provides trade secret owners with a federal civil cause of action, rather than limiting them to state laws or criminal enforcement.

Last month, one year after enactment of the law, the USPTO convened a public symposium on “Developments in Trade Secret Protection.” The event brought together nearly 200 participants, at the USPTO’s headquarters in Alexandria Virginia, and via live webcast to individuals and the USPTO’s four regional offices.

Read the blog by Chief Policy Officer and Director for International Affairs Shira Perlmutter.

Update on Global Trademark Harmonization

Mary Denison

In late May, I attended the TM5 mid-term meeting in Barcelona hosted by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The TM5 is a strategic cooperation group of the five largest trademark offices in the world including the USPTO, EUIPO, China (SAIC), Japan (JPO), and Korea (KIPO). I gave a blog update last year on the TM5 meeting we hosted at the USPTO, and I’m happy to report we have continued making headway this year towards global trademark harmonization.

The TM5 seeks to facilitate and harmonize trademark filings within its members, as well as other trademark offices around the world. The work of the TM5 is structured through cooperative projects designed to improve users’ interactions with national trademark offices and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). These projects include, among others, the Common Status Descriptors project, the Identification project, and the Indexing of Non-Traditional Marks project.

Read the blog by Commissioner for Trademarks Mary Denison.

Events

Patent Quality Chat – Topic: Patent Quality Metrics

Patent Quality Chat

Deputy Commissioner for Patent Quality Valencia Martin Wallace held the sixth Patent Quality Chat in the 2017 webinar series on June 5 on Patent Quality Metrics.

Speakers Greg Vidovich, Associate Commissioner for Patent Quality and Jim Dwyer, Director, Office of Patent Quality Assurance, discussed the latest evolution of our patent quality metrics that divides them into (1) product indicators, focusing on correctness and clarity, (2) process indicators, tracking efficiency and consistency, and (3) perception indicators, used to validate our first two indicators. Additionally, metrics from the first half of fiscal year 2017 were shared.

Patent Quality Chat is a monthly, lunchtime webinar series designed to provide information on patent quality topics and gather your input. The next Patent Quality Chat will be held on July 11 and will discuss the latest updates in USPTO's Work Sharing Efforts.

To learn more about the June Patent Quality Chat, watch the archived video or view the presentation slides.

USPTO In the News

Newspaper

USPTO building data reservoir
Matt Leonard, Government Computer News

Extension of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program
 The National Law Review

Telework and the USPTO: Living and Working Throughout the United States
Meryl Hershkowitz, INTA Bulletin

Top 5 IP Offices Advance Patent Harmonization
Intellectual Property Watch

Kid inventors flock to DC area for convention
Evan Koslof, WUSA9

Important Links