By Christopher P. Singer —

In a Notice published in the Federal Register on October 9, 2008, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced the names of persons that have been appointed to the Performance Review Board.  Among the twelve familiar names constituting the Board, Margaret J. A. Peterlin (Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Deputy Director) will serve as the Chairperson, and Stephen S. Smith (USPTO Chief Administrative Officer) will serve as the Vice Chairperson.  The remaining ten members include John J. Doll (USPTO Commissioner for Patents), Lynne G. Beresford (USPTO Commissioner for Trademarks), Wendy R. Garber (USPTO Chief Information Officer), James A. Toupin (USPTO General Counsel), Lois E. Boland (USPTO Director of Office of Intellectual Property Policy and Enforcement), Barry K. Hudson (USPTO Chief Financial Officer), Jefferson D. Taylor (USPTO Director of Office of Governmental Affairs), Deborah S. Cohn (USPTO Deputy Commissioner for Trademark Operations), Margaret A. Focarino (USPTO Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations), and Kenneth Berman (International Broadcasting Bureau Director of Information Technology).  The Notice did not include any term limits for the Board members.