Law360: A To-Do List For New USPTO Director Kathi Vidal by Ryan Davis
Following her confirmation Tuesday as director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Kathi Vidal faces a long list of issues that demand her attention, from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s discretionary denial policy to the office’s efforts to promote diversity in innovation.
The patent office has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since January 2021, which has put it in a kind of limbo where significant policy changes couldn’t be implemented, and numerous agency officials have had to fill in vacant positions in an acting capacity.