On Thursday, December 14, 2017, President Trump’s nominee to become the new Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Mr. Iancu has a proven record in the field of intellectual property law,” Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said moments before the vote. “He has an excellent academic and professional background in intellectual property law. He’s extremely knowledgeable about the patent system. He’s well respected in the legal community.”
“We congratulate Mr. Iancu on his support from the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to be Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,” said Innovation Alliance Executive Director Brian Pomper. “We believe he will heed the views of independent inventors, entrepreneurs, and various industry groups—all those that form our U.S. innovation ecosystem.” Pomper would go on to urge the full Senate to approve the Iancu nomination as soon as possible. “We look forward to working with Mr. Iancu in creating a strong and stable U.S. intellectual property landscape for entities of all sizes, enabling the U.S. to reassert its position as an international leader in innovation,” Pomper said.
Favorably reporting Andrei Iancu to the full Senate for confirmation as Director of the USPTO is an important next step along the nomination path. Although time is fast running out for a confirmation by the Senate.
With certain noncontroversial nominations, it is not uncommon for deals to be struck between Senate leaders to allow nominees to be confirmed by unanimous consent, which allows a package of nominees to be confirmed without requiring individual up or down votes. These deals can be somewhat typical immediately preceding a recess, as was the case in August 2017 when dozens of Trump nominees were confirmed via voice vote. Given the unanimous vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, it would seem that Iancu’s nomination would easily qualify as noncontroversial. But being favorably reported by the Judiciary Committee so close to the end of the working year may make it too late for confirmation by unanimous consent, assuming that would be the way the Senate chooses to proceed. Stay tuned!
For more information on the Iancu nomination please see:
- USPTO Director Nominee Andrei Iancu has Confirmation Hearing
- Andrei Iancu submits questionnaire to Senate
- Trump Nominates Andrei Iancu for PTO Director
- Director Andrei Iancu’s Act One
Tags: Andrei Iancu, patent, Patent Office, patents, senate, U.S. Senate, us senate, USPTO
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