Patent Law Practice Center

On the record with former WIPO Deputy Director Jim Pooley

James Pooley is a U.S. patent attorney with over 35 years’ experience as a successful Silicon Valley trial lawyer. Most recently, however, Pooley spent 5 years in Geneva, Switzerland as a diplomat and manager of the international patent system. In his capacity as Deputy Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Pooley was responsible for management of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), managing staff from 60 countries and working with the governments and NGOs in every region of the world.

I caught up with Pooley on January 22, 2015. In our wide-ranging discussion, we talked about his time at WIPO, harmonization, the need for a true international grace period, the European financial crisis and the likelihood that Congress will take up federal trade secret legislation in 2015. To read the complete 3-part interview, please visit IPWatchdog.com. What follows are some of the highlights of our discussion.

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