IP world reeling over death of former USPTO director Q. Todd Dickinson

Many remember him as the former under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office during Bill Clinton’s second term.

BY GENE QUINN

It is with tremendous sadness that I write to say that Q. Todd Dickinson passed away on May 3, 2020. He was 67.

I find myself at a loss for words to describe someone who has been a friend for so many years. I mourn a great man who, through his many accomplishments, did much domestically and internationally within the intellectual property world. I also mourn one of my best, truest friends.

Perhaps the one thing that summarizes my friend best is the fact that he was known by one name—Todd.

Like Madonna or LeBron or Tiger, a select few can truly be identified by one name without causing any confusion. Todd was such a person. Occasionally, his friends would tease him at events when he introduced himself as “Todd Dickinson”—as if “Todd” wasn’t enough.

Many remember Todd as the former under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office during Bill Clinton’s second term, a job that he told me on the record was the best job of his life.

Every morning as he would drive into work, he would anticipate how today he might make a decision or two that would improve the system. He was always looking to improve the patent system in any way.

Todd was USPTO acting director when I received my patent attorney registration number, so his is the signature that authorized me to become a member of the patent bar. Years later, after he had also become a good friend, I always thought it was a great honor to have my friend’s name on my registration.

Numerous IP impacts

During his four-decade legal career, Todd served as chief IP counsel for two Fortune 50 companies. He had overall corporate responsibility for all IP, including the management of extensive patent and trademark portfolios.

Todd also served as executive director of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, an association of more than 15,000 members, and as one of the world’s leading policy and advocacy organizations in the field of intellectual property. He played a key role in the drafting and passage of the America Invents Act and the subsequent patent office rules, including all aspects of post-grant review.

Whether it was planning a new patent prosecution program, handling an appeal or amicus brief at the Supreme Court or U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, or understanding the effect of the latest IP legislation on your company, few attorneys offered such a breadth of experience in both in-house IP management and domestic and global IP policy matters and government relations.

I could tell many stories about my times together with Todd, but the one that always stands out and I will always cherish is one particular evening in San Francisco at the Palace Hotel. It was a chance meeting with several of us there for one conference and several others there for a different event. We drank for hours, told stories, laughed— probably the most enjoyable night I’ve ever spent on the road.

Cheers, Todd! I will miss you very much, my friend.

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IANCU PAYS TRIBUTE

USPTO Director Andrei Iancu released this statement about the career of Todd Dickinson:

“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.’

“Former USPTO Solicitor John Whealan said that everyone’s high regard for Todd as director was a central reason that the USPTO was given more autonomy under his leadership….

“I began working with Todd many years ago when I was in private practice, but that work relationship grew over time—particularly when I became USPTO director. Todd was a mentor, and he was a friend.

“I, the USPTO, and the entire IP community will sorely miss Q. Todd Dickinson. He is survived by his husband Robert Atkins and his brother John Dickinson, to whom we extend our deepest sympathies.

May Todd’s memory be an inspiration to all.”