President Donald Trump has selected Andrei Iancu, the managing partner of a major Los Angeles law firm, to be the next head of the US Patent and Trademark Office [USPTO].
His most notable work in the tech sector is likely his representation of TiVo Corp. in its long-running patent battles with companies like EchoStar, Motorola, Microsoft, Verizon, and Cisco. TiVo ultimately succeeded in compelling those defendants to pay up for its pioneering DVR patents, and payments to TiVo ultimately totaled more than $1.6 billion, according to Iancu's biography page.
Iancu also had a hand in Immersion Corp's $82 million jury verdict against Sony Computer Entertainment in which a jury found that Immersion's patent claims on tactile feedback technology were valid and infringed.
[...] Iancu earned his JD, along with an MS in mechanical engineering and a BS in aerospace engineering, from UCLA. He worked as an engineer at Hughes Aircraft before attending law school.
Handling the business of a large and successful law firm like Irell & Manella means that Iancu is no slouch when it comes to management skills. And his varied set of clients could help him avoid the tug of war that often pops up between tech and pharma over how to manage the patent system.
If confirmed by the Senate, Iancu will replace Michelle Lee, the outgoing USPTO director who left shortly after Trump's inauguration. Lee, a former Google attorney, was a favorite of the tech sector.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:08AM (2 children)
Hey, don't you diss my man Trump: he's doing a great jobhahahahaha... Sorry, couldn't hold it together.....Snrk, buwhahaha cough.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:21AM (1 child)
I know someone who actually believes this too. The "liberal media" is making him out to be a buffoon, but he's really sticking it to a lot of people, etc. etc. It's really shocking how far detached from reality a large fraction of our country is.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @06:10AM
> The "liberal media" is making him out to be a buffoon, but he's really sticking it to a lot of people, etc. etc.
Well, Trump *is* sticking it to a lot of people. Predominantly to voters, including those that voted for him...