The following statement is in response to President Obama's nomination of David Kappos for Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It is attributed to Ed Black, the President and CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association:

“We are very pleased with nomination of Dave Kappos. Kappos is widely regarded as one of the most thoughtful and creative members of the intellectual property community. He has played a leadership role in the development of the peer review experiment in patent examination ("peer-to-patent" or "community patent review"). He also has been a leader in grappling with the growing conflict between patents and standards, especially the problem of patent ambush. The patent system is facing monumental challenges today, as the growing diversity in innovation confronts an increasingly costly legal system in which one size fits all.

“We hope and expect that Kappos can lead a team effort in the Obama Administration to insure that the patent system works to promote innovation and economic growth -- and not just more patents.

“We need to make sure that like other programs in government, our intellectual property laws and systems are also subjected to serious efficiency measurement and cost/benefit analysis.”

Contact:
Heather Greenfield
202-783-0070 ext 113
Ed Black
202-783-0070 ext 110