PTAB chief to take up advisory role at USPTO
David Ruschke will step down from his position as chief judge at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to serve in a newly-created advisory role.
Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office ( USPTO) Andrei Iancu announced on Tuesday, August 14 that Ruschke will serve as senior advisor to patents at the Office of the Commissioner for Patents.
In an email circulated to USPTO staff, Iancu said that the appointment is part of an effort to improve internal coordination between the office and the PTAB. A “more direct channel” between the two business units will help to improve the free flow of information, said Iancu.
Ruschke, who joined the PTAB in May 2016 from Medtronic, will work closely with the PTAB in his new position.
“This breadth of experience means he is well-positioned to address the concerns of our stakeholders, patent examiners, and PTAB judges,” said Iancu. “I look forward to working with David to improve intra-agency cooperation.”
Iancu also announced that Scott Boalick will serve as acting chief judge and Jacqueline Bonilla will take up the role of acting deputy chief judge while the USPTO undertakes a search for Ruschke's replacement.
The changes will come into effect on September 2.
The US Senate confirmed Iancu as the new director of the USPTO in February 2018, following his nomination by US President Donald Trump in August 2017.
In April this year, Iancu said the US must create a more positive dialogue around patents.
Speaking at the US Chamber of Commerce Patent Policy conference in April, he claimed that the US patent system is at a “crossroads” and that the US’s dialogue and policies around patents must focus on the achievement of the nation’s inventors.
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