Openness and Patent Reform: USPTO Launches Director’s Blog

David Kappos, the new Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), has taken on a tough mission that is critically important for the future of American innovation:  fix our broken patent system and reduce the USPTO’s backlog of applications in order to foster job creation and economic growth. Mobilizing the skills and expertise of the USPTO’s staff, he has already begun to make noticeable progress towards reform.

On the open government front, we’re particularly excited to see Director Kappos’s new blog.  In his first post, he lays out his priorities and goals, presents the results of some early reforms, dives right into the substantive debate around patent reform legislation, and invites input from stakeholders across the spectrum of IP interests. It’s a terrific start to a blog that we’ll be reading avidly.