On August 25, 2017, the White House announced the nomination of Andrei Iancu to fill the post of Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The position has been vacant since the resignation of Michelle K. Lee in early June. Mr. Iancu is the managing partner of Irell & Manella LLP and a member of the litigation and intellectual property practice groups. Andrei Iancu's practice is focused on intellectual property litigation, but included other aspects of intellectual property, including prosecution, due diligence and licensing. He has represented clients in technological fields including genetic testing, the Internet, me
In a recent article, the 717 Madison Place blog published a disturbing article detailing how the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) picks Administrative Patent Judges (APJs) for expanded Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) panels. In oral arguments before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in two separate cases, attorneys representing the USPTO admitted that judges were added to expanded panels in order to insure outcomes desired by the Director of the USPTO. In other words, the Director picks judges known to share her views so as to predetermine the outcome of decisions of supposedly independent and impartial panels. This breathtaking admission was made in Yissum R
