By Erin Smith
Feb 6 (Reuters) - David Kappos, the former Director of the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, has joined Cravath Swaine &
Moore as a partner in the firm's intellectual property practice.
Kappos, who was appointed by President Barack Obama to head
the patent office in 2009, resigned from the USPTO effective
earlier this month.
During his tenure, Kappos oversaw the implementation of the
2011 America Invents Act, which overhauled the nation's patent
system and was widely viewed by intellectual property attorneys
as modernizing the office and improving its efficiency.
Prior to joining the patent office, Kappos spent 25 years at
IBM Corp in a variety of roles, including assistant general
counsel for intellectual property.
IBM, which is the world's largest intellectual property
holder, is a longtime client of Cravath, and Kappos worked with
the firm during his tenure at the technology giant.
"Dave's experience will be highly relevant to a wide range
of Cravath's clients, including in the biotechnology, consumer,
general industries, media, pharmaceutical, technology and
telecommunications sectors," Cravath presiding partner Allen
Parker said in a statement.
Kappos will largely focus on corporate work, including
intellectual property issues related to mergers and acquistions,
but he will also be a resource for the firm's litigators, Parker
told Reuters.
Cravath's clients include Qualcomm Inc and Bristol-Myers
Squibb Co, and it has long-represented major record companies
fighting copyright infringement related to file sharing.
Kappos is the second former Obama official to join Cravath.
In 2011, the firm hired Christine Varney, the former top
antitrust official in the U.S. Justice Department.
According to the American Lawyer, Cravath, with 475
lawyers, reported profits per partner of $3,100,000 in 2011.
Teresa Stanek Rea is serving as acting director of the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office. She served as the deputy director
under Kappos.
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