David J. Kappos, Former Director of the USPTO, Joins Cravath

On February 6, 2013, Cravath announced that David J. Kappos, former Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), has joined the Firm as a partner.

Mr. Kappos is widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost leaders in the field of intellectual property matters, including the development of global intellectual property norms, laws and practices. In 2009, he was appointed Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the USPTO by President Barack Obama, and this appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate.

As Director of the USPTO, Mr. Kappos was instrumental in achieving the greatest legislative reform of the U.S. patent system in generations through patent reform legislation signed by the President in September 2011. The subsequent implementation led by Mr. Kappos included the most comprehensive rulemaking and public engagement period in USPTO history.

Prior to joining the USPTO in 2009, Mr. Kappos held several executive posts in the legal department of IBM. He joined IBM in 1983, spending more than 25 years at the company. Mr. Kappos served first as a development engineer and then as a lawyer. From 2003 to  2009, in his last post at IBM, he served as the company’s Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Intellectual Property.

According to Allen Parker, Cravath’s Presiding Partner, “Dave will be an outstanding addition to the Firm, supporting our clients when they are addressing their most complex intellectual property issues, including those involving our clients’ deal activity as well as their litigation and antitrust matters. Dave’s experience will be highly relevant to a wide range of Cravath’s clients, including those in the biotechnology, consumer, general industries, media, pharmaceutical, technology and telecommunications sectors. The Firm represents numerous companies within each of these sectors, many of which have spent decades working with Cravath on their intellectual property matters.”

Please click here to read the Firm’s press release.

Please click here to read the Law360 article.