Join the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the next Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) quarterly meeting on Thursday, November 18, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. Members of the public are welcome and invited to attend.
The virtual program will include updates from USPTO executives on the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, patent pendency and quality, artificial intelligence, and more. The agenda and webcast link are available on the PPAC event page of the USPTO website.
PPAC was created by the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 to advise the Secretary of Commerce and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO on the management of patent operations. The committee’s nine voting members, who come from various backgrounds in the private sector, review the USPTO’s patent policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees and advise the Director on these matters.
Agenda (all times are ET):
| Time | Topic | Principal(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 11-11:30 a.m. | Call to order – introduction Highlights of annual report FY 2022 outlook | PPAC Chair Julie Mar-Spinola PPAC Vice Chair Steve Caltrider |
| Opening remarks | Performing the functions and duties of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Drew Hirshfeld | |
| 11:30-11:50 a.m. | Innovation Expansion Highlights of annual report Anita B.Org event and Secretary Gina Raimondo as Chair of Council for Inclusive Innovation (CI2)Office of the Chief Communications Officer (OCCO) enhanced outreach programming and storytelling initiatives | PPAC Innovation Expansion Subcommittee Chair Jennifer Camacho Deputy Commissioner for Patents Valencia Martin Wallace Acting Chief Communication Officer Cara Duckworth |
| 11:50 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Artificial intelligence (AI)/ information technology (IT)Highlights of annual report Resiliency and Cloud – major milestones Cybersecurity update DOCX – benefits and updates AI Search – major milestones Auto-classification Policy updates: AI inventorship National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee | PPAC AI and IT Subcommittee Chair Jeremiah Chan Chief Information Officer Jamie Holcombe Deputy Commissioner for Patents Richard Seidel Deputy Chief Information Officer Debbie Stephens Director of Infrastructure Engineering and Operations Bob Simms Chief Information Security Officer Don Watson Director, Technology Center 2800 Matt Such Senior Advisor International Patent Business Solutions Nelson Yang Director, Office of Petitions Charles Kim |
| 12:30-1 p.m. | Legislative update Highlights of annual report Legislative update | PPAC Legislative Subcommittee Co-chairs Susan Braden and Dan Brown Acting Director, Office of Governmental Affairs Kimberley Alton Attorney Advisor, Office of Governmental Affairs Tamara Foley |
| Break | ||
| 1:10-1:30 p.m. | Finance/budget update Highlights of annual report FY 2021: recap FY 2022: financial position & status of the business FY 2023: next steps for the budget | PPAC Finance Subcommittee Chair Barney Cassidy Chief Financial Officer Jay Hoffman |
| 1:30-2 p.m. | Outreach – international Highlights of annual report Update on World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) General Assembly meeting and new leadership Industrial Design Forum (ID5) annual meeting update International legislative updates Update on legalizations of documents to support foreign patent filing | PPAC Outreach Subcommittee Chair Tracy Durkin Chief Policy Officer and Director for International Affairs Mary Critharis Deputy Commissioner for Patents Valencia Martin Wallace |
| 2-2:40 p.m. | Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Highlights of annual report Update on interim Director review PTAB’s pro bono program Update on small inventor outreach/inventor hour web programming Update on what’s new at the PTAB | PPAC PTAB Subcommittee Chair Steve Caltrider PTAB Chief Judge Scott Boalick PTAB Deputy Chief Judge Jackie Bonilla PTAB Vice Chief Judge Janet Gongola |
| 2:40-3:25 p.m. | Patent quality and pendency Highlights of annual report FY 2021 statistics recap and FY 2022 predictions Reexams, reissues, and supplemental exams in the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) – overview of the CRU, statistics, and notable trends | PPAC Quality and Pendency Subcommittee Chair Jeff Sears Acting Commissioner for Patents Andrew Faile Deputy Commissioner for Patents Robin Evans Deputy Commissioner for Patents Robert Bahr Assistant Commissioner for Patents Remy Yucel Director, Office of Patent Quality Assurance Stefanos Karmis CRU Director David Ruschke |
| 3:25-3:30 p.m. | Closing remarks Meeting adjourns | PPAC Chair Julie Mar-Spinola PPAC Vice Chair Steve Caltrider |
This event is part of a series: PPAC
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