The quick appointment of a qualified leader and significant changes to the U.S. Copyright Office are just some of the major wish-list items the American Intellectual Property Law Association is hoping President Donald Trump’s new administration will pay close attention to during his term.
The AIPLA, of which I am a member of the board of directors, recently sent a nine-page priority letter to Trump and his transition team in which it outlined some of the major points the AIPLA believes should be on the collective plates of the new leadership concerning intellectual property law.
The Jan. 4 letter highlights action items that could help streamline intellectual property law, keeping business moving at the proper speed to adapt to client needs.
Most importantly, the letter calls for the swift appointment of both a director and a deputy director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The letter lays out both experience level and qualification suggestions for the pair.
Whether the new administration can or will act on any or all of the matters outlined in the AIPLA’s letter, it underscores the fundamental need for modernization at the federal level to keep the business of intellectual property – which contributes more than $6.6 trillion to the U.S. gross domestic product and directly provides 27.9 million American jobs – moving forward in a fast-moving marketplace. Any changes other than leadership appointments likely would be months away, but ensuring the issues at hand are on the minds of the new leadership is important not just for IP lawyers, but for their clients and potential clients.
You can read the entire letter here. For more information or explanation on the changes the AIPLA is proposing and how it can affect your business, feel free to reach out to me.
Salvatore Anastasi is the chair of Barley Snyder’s Intellectual Property Law Group. He counsels clients on all aspects of domestic and international patent preparation and prosecution as well as intellectual property litigation. He also is on the board of directors of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. He can be reached at (610) 722-3899 or at sanastasi@barley.com.
