Kappos Nomination Supported by Industry and Patent Groups

    By Donald Zuhn --

Last Thursday, the White House announced that President Obama had selected David Kappos (at right), the Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of Intellectual Property Law at IBM, to head up the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  In the days since that announcement, a number of patent organizations and trade groups have released statements commenting on Mr. Kappos' nomination.  While many of these organizations ordinarily find it difficult to agree on almost any patent-related issue, they seem to have reached consensus on President Obama's selection -- and the news is good for Mr. Kappos who, once confirmed, will take over as Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

In a statement released last Friday, Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood commended President Obama for "making a strong choice in his nomination of David Kappos," adding that the organization believed Mr. Kappos would "bring a thoughtful perspective to the Department of Commerce and the USPTO."  Mr. Greenwood noted that Mr. Kappos "has a long history of industry experience, providing a point of view and insights we have always thought to be highly valuable in this position."  Mr. Greenwood stated that BIO looked forward to working with Mr. Kappos in the coming years, and urged the Senate "to move quickly" to consider Mr. Kappos' nomination, since the Office "needs a confirmed leader as soon as possible."

The Coalition for Patent Fairness, which has been at odds with BIO on a number of patent-related issues, released its own statement regarding the Kappos nomination on Friday.  The CPF applauded President Obama's selection of Kappos, contending that "Mr. Kappos has the background and experience needed to lead the U.S. Patent Office at a time when it faces significant operational challenges in an ever-evolving competitive global marketplace."  The CPF also stated that it looked forward to the opportunity to work with Mr. Kappos, concluding that the group "support[ed] President Obama's call for reforms to the US patent system that will spur innovation and job creation."

The Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), where Mr. Kappos currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors (the second highest position in the association), issued a statement congratulating Mr. Kappos on his selection.  Praising the President for the nomination, IPO Executive Director Herb Wamsley stated that "Dave Kappos is exceptionally well qualified to lead the USPTO during this time of difficult challenges for the agency."

The Innovation Alliance, a coalition of small and medium-sized technology companies, issued a press release congratulating Mr. Kappos on his nomination.  The group stated that it "look[ed] forward to working with [Mr. Kappos] in what will be a very difficult, but important effort to revitalize the PTO, which all agree is under funded and overburdened," taking the opportunity to request that Congress provide the Patent Office with the funds it needs "to upgrade its technology, improve the patent application process, and attract and retain professional talent."  The Innovation Alliance pledged to "work with Mr. Kappos, the Administration and Congress in achieving these goals, and making sure that our nation's strong patent protections continue to work for all sectors of the U.S. economy," and urged the Senate "to move forward with a speedy confirmation."

The Coalition for 21st Century Patent Reform called Mr. Kappos' nomination "very welcome news for our Coalition members and all innovators, researchers and manufacturers."  In its statement, the group asserted that Mr. Kappos "will be an advocate for inventors and the protection of the nation's patents and advancements," adding that his appointment would also be "beneficial for the continued progress" of the Senate patent reform bill (S. 515).

Comments

[staff]

Based on his testimony to congress he backs the patent reform bill which has nothing to do with reform. The question is will he be his own man and strive to actually fix the patent office or will he use this as an opportunity to advance the agenda of large corporations like IBM in making patents the sport of kings, stifling innovation and plunging the country deeper into debt and depression? We will see.

Patent reform is a fraud on America...
Please see http://truereform.piausa.org/ for a different/opposing view on patent reform

[Josh K]

The issue of reforming the patent system has been at the forefront of attention in recent months. The nomination of Mr. Kappos brings with it optimism and concern at the same time. Many are optimistic that Mr. Kappos will make an effort towards reforming a highly scrutinized system. However, others are concerned that he may bring a ideals from his career at IBM and stifle smaller inventors for the sake of bettering large companies. For more on this, see Aminn.org