Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property
Encyclopedia
The Under Secretary for Intellectual Property, within the United States Department of Commerce
, is the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
. The Under Secretary for Intellectual Property is the lead advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and the President of the United States
on intellectual property matters.
The position of Under Secretary and Director of the United States Patent Office (USPTO) was created by the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act, which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton
on November 29, 1999. It was effective January 17, 2001 with an executive order from the Secretary of Commerce. The executive order abolished the position's predecessor, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks. The Act mandated the creation of the Deputy Under Secretary and Deputy Director, who assists the Under Secretary, as well as other aspects of the reorganization of the office as a federal agency.
The Under Secretary is responsible for administering laws relevant to granting patent
s and trademark
s, and for the day-to-day management of the agency's $1.7 billion budget and more than 8,000 employees. The Under Secretary is also obligated to conduct programs and studies regarding intellectual property, and to conduct cooperative programs with other foreign intellectual property offices. The Under Secretary is appointed by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate
. The current Under Secretary is David J. Kappos
, who was sworn in on August 13, 2009 following the United States Senate
's confirmation of his appointment by President
Barack Obama
. Before David Kappos, the acting Under Secretary was John Doll
, who replaced Jon Dudas
when he resigned on January 20, 2009. Dudas
had been appointed by President George W. Bush
in July 2004, and had served as acting Under Secretary since 2002. Previous Under Secretaries include Q. Todd Dickinson
and James E. Rogan
.
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
, is the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
. The Under Secretary for Intellectual Property is the lead advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
on intellectual property matters.
The position of Under Secretary and Director of the United States Patent Office (USPTO) was created by the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act, which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
on November 29, 1999. It was effective January 17, 2001 with an executive order from the Secretary of Commerce. The executive order abolished the position's predecessor, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks. The Act mandated the creation of the Deputy Under Secretary and Deputy Director, who assists the Under Secretary, as well as other aspects of the reorganization of the office as a federal agency.
The Under Secretary is responsible for administering laws relevant to granting patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s and trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s, and for the day-to-day management of the agency's $1.7 billion budget and more than 8,000 employees. The Under Secretary is also obligated to conduct programs and studies regarding intellectual property, and to conduct cooperative programs with other foreign intellectual property offices. The Under Secretary is appointed by the President and confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. The current Under Secretary is David J. Kappos
David Kappos
David "Dave" J. Kappos is the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office . Prior to being confirmed to this post by the U.S. Senate on August 7, 2009, Kappos was the vice president and assistant general counsel, intellectual...
, who was sworn in on August 13, 2009 following the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
's confirmation of his appointment by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Before David Kappos, the acting Under Secretary was John Doll
John J. Doll
John J. Doll was the Acting United States Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office since the resignation of Jon W. Dudas on January 20, 2009. Before that, he was Commissioner for Patents at the USPTO...
, who replaced Jon Dudas
Jon Dudas
Jonathan W. Dudas served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office until January 18, 2009. He was nominated to the position by former President George W. Bush in March 2004 and appointed in July 2004...
when he resigned on January 20, 2009. Dudas
Jon Dudas
Jonathan W. Dudas served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office until January 18, 2009. He was nominated to the position by former President George W. Bush in March 2004 and appointed in July 2004...
had been appointed by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in July 2004, and had served as acting Under Secretary since 2002. Previous Under Secretaries include Q. Todd Dickinson
Q. Todd Dickinson
Q. Todd Dickinson is the former Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office...
and James E. Rogan
James E. Rogan
James Edward Rogan is a judge of the Superior Court of California, a law professor, an author, and a former Member of the United States House of Representatives from California...
.