USPTO nominates Lee as new director
The US government has announced its nomination for the next director at the US Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) following a near two-year period without a leader.
Michelle Lee, currently deputy director, is the approved choice to take on the role, the US Department of Commerce said yesterday (October 16).
In a statement confirming the nomination, commerce secretary Penny Pritzker said Lee was a “proven leader with strong management skills”.
Lee, who founded the USPTO’s Silicon Valley satellite office, was deputy general counsel and head of patents and patent strategy at Google between 2003 and 2012.
The patent office has been without a permanent director since David Kappos left in February 2013.
Lee was appointed deputy director in January this year.
Earlier this year there was speculation that Phil Johnson, senior vice president of IP at pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, was going to be handed the role but the rumours were quashed.
Pritzker added: "Lee brings decades of legal, technical and business experience in delivering real results for our nation’s innovators."
The nomination is subject to approval by the US Senate.
