The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has hired John Duffy as general counsel, replacing acting GC David Shewchuk.
Duffy joins from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he is a professor of law. At the USPTO, he will serve as the organisation’s principal legal adviser and counsel to the under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the USPTO. He will also oversee the three offices of the general counsel: the office of the solicitor, the office of general law and the office of enrolment and discipline.
John Squires, the USPTO’s director, said: “John brings a remarkable range and breadth of experience to these high responsibilities: an incredible grounding in physics from Harvard, a tour at world-famous Bell Labs and years in the academy as one of the country’s foremost and most thoughtful scholars, and also as a legal practitioner, serving with distinction previously at the Justice Department, and remarkable clerkships with Judge Stephen Williams and Justice Antonin Scalia.”
Squires added: “His exceptional experience and legal expertise will be invaluable to further elevate American ingenuity, here and on the world stage.”
Duffy has been at the University of Virginia School of Law since 2011. Earlier in his career he served in the office of legal counsel at the DOJ, as well as clerking in the US Supreme Court. He also had a spell in private practice before becoming an academic.
Writing on LinkedIn, he said the position gives him a chance to collaborate again with Squires, having previously worked together on the Bilski v Kappos litigation.
He added: “That case established the patentability of business methods and made clear that the US patent system remains open to a very broad range of human innovations. I’m very much hoping that public service in this position will give me the chance to contribute, even if in a small way, to the legal system that has helped American ingenuity lead the world in technological progress for the betterment of people everywhere.”
Shewchuck, meanwhile, will resume his deputy GC duties, a role he has held since 2013 when he rejoined the USPTO following a year as deputy solicitor at the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
Back in July, the US Public Company Accountability Oversight Board hired George Kostolampros as GC from Venable, replacing Matt Goldin in the role.
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