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Former Google Lawyer Michelle Lee To Run US Patent Office

Posted by timothy on from the insiders-and-outsiders dept.

First time accepted submitter Tigger's Pet writes "The BBC report that 'Google's former top patent lawyer has been put in charge of America's patent and trademark office (USPTO). Michelle Lee was made deputy director of the USPTO this week and will run the agency while it seeks a new boss. Ms Lee joined the patent office after leaving Google in June 2012 but said the opinions of her former employer would not guide her work.' Maybe she will use her knowledge from some of the insanity she has seen to actually tackle the current situation of patents, patent-trolling and lawsuits, so that companies can concentrate on true development which benefits all their users, not just the lawyers."

5 of 91 comments (clear)

  1. Really. by Bovius · · Score: 5, Funny

    "...but said the opinions of her former employer would not guide her work."

    I wonder if she rolled her eyes and winked after saying this.

    This is one of those situations where I think the chosen person could actually do an enormous amount of good if they had the will to, but I have little to no hope that that will be the actual outcome.

    1. Re:Really. by king+neckbeard · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Bush being a crony corporatist doesn't mean Obama isn't also a crony corporatist. In fact, if they have an (R) or a (D) in front of their name, they are probably a crony corporatist.

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  2. Re:Not likely to help by StripedCow · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The biggest problem right now is that the USPTO is being paid for the amount of patents that is approved, as opposed to being paid for the amount of patents that are turned down (due to prior art, etc.)

    It is a bit like paying fishermen for the amount of fish they *didn't* catch.

    If she would accept this change in financial dependence, then I'd say there is hope. But right now I don't see it happening.

    --
    If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
  3. Re:Not likely to help by Trepidity · · Score: 5, Informative

    Huh, I didn't realize that. Looks like, for large companies at least (there are some discounts for individual inventors), the fees break down roughly like this:

    • Filing/search/examination fees: $1600
    • Issuance of an approved patent: $1780
    • Maintenance of an approved patent over its full lifespan: $12,600

    So basically the USPTO gets $1600 if the patent is rejected, or $15,980 if it's approved.

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  4. Re:Are you serious? by davester666 · · Score: 5, Funny

    What are you saying?

    The US gov't has a long history of hiring/appointing people from industry to work in order to improve the system. It works every time.

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