USPTO's New Chief May Be Former Google Lawyer

All the talk of patent reform is necessary, and often spot-on, but one thing goes unsaid: there's no one leading the charge. The US Patent Office lacks leadership, and the Director chair has sat empty for over 18 months. The Obama administration is now trying to fill that seat, and have nominated Michelle Lee to helm the post. Lee is the current Deputy Director of the USPTO, but also has a lineage in tech as a former patent counsel at Google.

Lee is well respected, and may signal important change is coming. A previous nominee sparked outcry from the tech community due to his stance that patent reform wasn't necessary. His nomination was unceremoniously pulled after the backlash.

The dated and slow patent system has given way to trolls over the past year who attempt to acquire empty patents for later use in litigation. With a backlog of over half a million patents, the office is already overworked.

Lee's nomination is pending Senate approval, which is another odd sticking point. Lee is an agent of change, and the Senate recently voted down a patent reform bill (via partisan support). Her increased profile as Director would provide more leverage, so don't look for this to be one of those simple handshake vetting processes.

Via: GigaOM