Brent Named USPTO Deputy Director

Longtime IP professional Derrick Brent is the new deputy under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and deputy director of the USPTO, effective August 1.

The announcement was made by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Kathi Vidal.

“I am thrilled to welcome Derrick to America’s Innovation Agency,” Director Vidal said. “Derrick’s wide and deep experience in intellectual property, policy, government, and industry will serve the agency well. His work in the private and public sectors, working with a wide range of IP constituencies in different industries across the country, from Georgia to Ohio to California, and fighting for civil rights and the rights of the under-resourced and underrepresented, will undoubtedly lift this agency to new heights.”

Brent will serve as the principal advisor to Director Vidal, managing a wide portfolio of programs and operations for one of the largest intellectual property offices in the world, with more than 13,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $4 billion.

USPTO Goes Greener: The USPTO has become a technology partner to the global green-technology platform of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), WIPO GREEN.

WIPO GREEN is a public-private partnership established by WIPO in 2013. Its 145 international partners include major technology companies, intellectual property offices, business groups, research institutes, and nongovernmental organizations. The partnership provides an online platform for technology exchange, connecting providers and seekers of environmentally friendly technologies, and organizes acceleration projects, conferences, and international events that highlight the availability of green technologies.

The announcement came at a July meeting USPTO Director Kathi Vidal held with WIPO Director General Daren Tang during the organization’s annual Meetings of the Assemblies in Geneva.