Trump to nominate Irell & Manella partner as USPTO director
US President Donald Trump has announced his intention to nominate Andrei Iancu as director of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to replace Michelle Lee, who left the post in June.
Iancu, who is currently the managing partner of Irell & Manella, focuses his practice on IP law and has advised plaintiffs and defendants across a wide variety of industries.
He has acted in district courts and at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
In 2011 Iancu represented TiVo, a digital recording service provider, in securing a $500 million settlement in a patent dispute against DISH Network and EchoStar involving TiVo’s “Time Warp” digital video recorder technology.
In March last year, he represented B/E Aerospace, which manufactures parts for passenger cabin interior products.
The company was sued by MAG Aerospace Industries over patents relating to repairing vacuum toilets used in commercial aircraft. After B/E Aerospace countersued, both the district court and the Federal Circuit invalidated the patents.
Senator Orrin Hatch, senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released a statement congratulating Iancu on his nomination.
“I take a keen interest in the USPTO and its leadership,” he said.
“Over the coming months, I look forward to discussing with Mr Iancu his views on patent reform and other critically important issues as his nomination moves through committee and onto the Senate floor.”
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