Bloomberg Law Discusses Biden’s Pick for Director of USPTO with Eric Perrott

On October 26, 2021, Bloomberg Law published an article discussing how the nomination of Kathi Vidal as Director of the USPTO, is being seen as an opportunity to bring balance to the organization. Vidal, who has worked on both sides of IP disputes, was selected by President Joe Biden.

Bloomberg Law spoke with Gerben partner Eric Perrott on how the nomination can help the USPTO deal with the rise in fraudulent foreign filings, which are threatening the integrity of the United States’s Trademark Registry.

Decisions like shifting the office’s focus to prioritize enforcement measures, including the sanctioning of U.S. attorneys for the fraudulent foreign filings, can come quicker and will have more authority from a political appointee, said Eric Perrott, a trademark attorney at Gerben Perrott LLC.

“When it comes to a unified strategy to ensure that this isn’t happening to damage the register, that’s something the new director is going to need to deal with,” Perrott said. “It’s as important as the patent side, to make sure that our trademark register remains the most sought after in the world.”

Source: Bultman, Matthew, and Handler, Samanatha. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/. “’Opportunity for Balance’ See With Biden’s Patent Office Pick.” 26 October 2021.