MichelleLee
Latest
The head of the US patent office just quit
The head of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Michelle Lee, has unexpectedly resigned from her position. Lee was officially appointed to the top job by President Obama in 2015*, but had affirmed both in November 2016 and March that she was open to staying on with the current administration. She was seen as a big ally of the tech industry, improving the quality of the patent process and earning praise from Amazon, Intel, Facebook, Google and Samsung, amongst others.
Former Google lawyer Michelle Lee will run the US patent office
It's official: after four months of waiting, former Google legal counsel Michelle Lee has been confirmed as the head of the US Patent and Trademark Office. She was already serving as the acting director (the position has technically been vacant since 2013), but this gives her a more secure footing. The nod is potentially a big help to the agency. While there have been steps to curb patent trolling, a more permanent USPTO position could help Lee improve the quality of US patents and discourage frivolous lawsuits. She was already a vociferous advocate for patent reform in her Google days, and she now has a solid platform for making those reforms a reality. [Image credit: Tony Avelar/AP Images for SanDisk Corporation]
Former Google lawyer nominated to lead US patent office
The Obama administration has recently nominated former Google lawyer Michelle Lee to be the next permanent director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, which could mean bad news for patent trolls. Lee, who was appointed as the department's deputy director in January, was Google's first ever head of patents and patent strategy and has long been a strong proponent for patent reform. Lee appears to be well-versed to handle the demands of the job, with not just her history at Google but also M.I.T degrees in electrical engineering and computer science and 20 years experience as a patent attorney. The USPTO has not had a permanent director since David Kappos left in 2013. [Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
