Sullivan & Cromwell hires former USPTO head, Federal Circuit judge; Reuters, July 11, 2023

Blake Brittain, Reuters; Sullivan & Cromwell hires former USPTO head, Federal Circuit judge

"Sullivan & Cromwell announced on Tuesday that it has hired former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director Andrei Iancu and former federal judge Kathleen O'Malley, bolstering the prominent New York-founded law firm's patent practice.

Iancu and O'Malley both joined Sullivan & Cromwell from intellectual property-focused law firm Irell & Manella. Iancu, Irell's managing partner from 2012 to 2018, rejoined the firm in 2021 after heading the USPTO during Donald Trump's presidency. O'Malley joined Irell last year after retiring from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit."

Statement from Director Andrei Iancu on the loss of former USPTO Director Q. Todd Dickinson; United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), May 5, 2020

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); Statement from Director Andrei Iancu on the loss of former USPTO Director Q. Todd Dickinson

"The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) mourns the loss of The Honorable Q. Todd Dickinson, former Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. Todd was immensely knowledgeable and influential in the intellectual property community. He was a warm person and a great friend to many.

Todd’s career spanned the IP landscape, having worked in law firms, corporations, trade groups, and government. After serving as Chief IP Counsel at Sun, Todd was appointed by President Clinton in 1998 to be Deputy Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks at the USPTO. With the passage of the American Inventors Protection Act (AIPA) in 1999, Todd became the first person to hold the modern-era title of Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the USPTO. 

Todd was at the forefront of modernizing the USPTO to make it more user friendly. Under his leadership, the agency started accepting electronic filings and launched the now popular Patent Application Information Retrieval system (PAIR), which makes most patent filings available to the public electronically. He also was central in efforts to harmonize aspects of US and international patent law. 

As Director, he was beloved by USPTO staff and lauded by outside stakeholders. One examiner said that Todd made him proud to serve as an examiner at the USPTO, and another remembered his mantra that the USPTO is the “patent office, not the rejection office.”"

10 million patents: A celebration of American innovation; Director's Forum: A Blog from USPTO's Leadership, Thursday, June 14, 2018

Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Director's Forum: A Blog from USPTO's Leadership
10 million patents: A celebration of American innovation

"On June 19, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will issue patent number 10 million—a remarkable achievement for the United States of America and our agency. More than just a number, this patent represents one of ten million steps on a continuum of human accomplishment launched when our Founding Fathers provided for intellectual property protection in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8 of our Constitution.

Appropriately, patent number 10 million will be the first issued with a new patent cover design, which we unveiled in March at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. It was created by a team of USPTO graphic designers including Rick Heddleston, Theresa Verigan, and led by Jeff Isaacs."

Andrei Iancu Named US Patent And Trademark Office Director; Intellectual Property Watch, February 6, 2018

Dugie Standeford, Intellectual Property Watch; Andrei Iancu Named US Patent And Trademark Office Director

"By a vote of 94-0, the United States Senate on 5 February confirmed California intellectual property litigator Andrei Iancu as next director of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)."