February 2, 2010

USPTO Director David Kappos to speak at William Mitchell College of Law

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) David Kappos will visit the Twin Cities this spring to speak with entrepreneurs and innovators, and share his vision for a more innovation-friendly US patent system. Kappos, appointed by President Obama last October, will share his vision for improving the USPTO with the public at William Mitchell College of Law from 4:30 to 6 pm, Tuesday, April 6, 2010.
Video of the Director Kappos’ speech is now here

With innovation at the center of all scenarios for economic recovery, Kappos has said that intellectual property is the key to pulling out of the current recession.

“American business sectors that rely most heavily on IP protection already account for 5 trillion dollars of GDP and they employ 18 million workers,” Kappos said at the annual meeting of the American Intellectual Property Association. “This trend will only increase. It’s our job to make that ramp as steep and smooth as possible.”

Kappos has been on the user side of the USPTO throughout a 20-year career with IBM. Most recently, he was vice president and assistant general counsel for intellectual property at IBM, managing the global technology giant’s patent and trademark portfolios. In his current role as director of the USPTO, Kappos advises the President, Secretary of Commerce and Administration about intellectual property matters. He also oversees an office that is currently struggling with a patent application backlog of more than 800,000, long waiting periods for patent review, outdated information technology systems, and an application process in need of reform.

In addition to his free, public speech at William Mitchell, Kappos will meet with inventors and leaders of technology companies during his stay in the Twin Cities to discuss how the USPTO affects their work.

The event is sponsored by Patterson, Thuente, Skaar & Christensen, a Minneapolis-based intellectual property law firm, and the Intellectual Property Institute at William Mitchell College of Law.

Register online The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited.