U.S. Patent Office names acting director

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Associate Solicitor Joseph Matal has been tapped to serve as undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the USPTO until the nomination and confirmation of a new director.


U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the interim leadership choice as effective immediately following the resignation of Michelle K. Lee, who joined the agency in 2012, became interim director in 2014 and was formally nominated to the director position that year by then-President Obama (though it took Congress until a second nomination in 2015 to confirm her). Sources have told Politico that Lee unexpectedly quit on June 6 following months of tensions centered around funding issues under the Trump administration. 

Matal’s experience with the agency includes time in the USPTO’s Office of Solicitor, as well as a stint as acting chief of staff.