Bytes from AIPLA 12/12/2003December 12, 2003

The following are edited clips from the American Intellectual Property Law Associations Reports published Dec. 9, 2003. USPTO Director ResignsJames E. Rogan, director of the US Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) has submitted his resignation effective Jan. 9, 2004. Rogan was nominated to head the PTO in June of 2001 and was confirmed by the Senate in November of 2001. Early in his tenure, Rogan launched a five-year 21st Century Strategic Plan that emphasized patent quality over patent pendency. The PTO now has an extensive program of quality-based initiatives, including new programs to certify the skills of current and prospective patent examiners, their managers, patent attorneys, and patent agents. As of Jan. 9, 2004, and until a new director is confirmed, the acting director will be Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and PTO Deputy Director Jon W. Dudas. Deputy Director Dudas came to the PTO in January of 2002 after serving as the Counsel for Legal Policy and Senior Floor Assistant to Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert. From 1997 to 2000, he was the Deputy General Counsel and Staff Director for the House Judiciary Committee, and before that, he served as a Counsel to the Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property and as Legislative Counsel to Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.). To read the PTO press release on Director Rogan