Arent Fox’s Marylee Jenkins Appointed to USPTO’s Patent Public Advisory Committee

Created by Congressional legislation in 1999, the committee reviews USPTO policies, performance, and budget with respect to patents, and issues annual reports that are transmitted to the President, Judiciary Committees in the Senate and House of Representatives, and the Secretary of Commerce. The reports are also published in the USPTO’s Official Gazette.

“It’s an honor to be asked to help analyze and shape patent policies at the USPTO, given the huge importance of intellectual property to business in this country and worldwide,” said Ms. Jenkins. “Through my practice, I’m familiar with the procedures and objectives of the USPTO, and their impact on the health of innovation. I look forward to serving on the committee and helping it make a meaningful contribution to the USPTO.”

The nine committee members are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Secretary of Commerce. Qualifications for appointment, according to the legislation that created the committee, include “substantial background and achievement in finance, management, labor relations, science [or] technology,” among others.

The PPAC chair determines the schedule of committee meetings, which are open to the public.

Ms. Jenkins focuses her practice on counseling and litigation related to computer and Internet matters including e-commerce; licensing and co-branding; advertising; domain name disputes; portfolio management; patent applications and enforcement; and bankruptcy, among others. Her clients represent industries including hardware and software; electrical and electromechanical systems; the information and financial sectors; consumer products; medical devices; and various computer-related technologies. She has represented clients before the USPTO on patent appeals, reexaminations, reissues, and interferences.

Ms. Jenkins earned her law degree from New York Law School, a BS in mechanical engineering from Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a BS in physics from Centre College of Kentucky.

A past chairperson of the American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law and a past president of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association, she has lectured widely on IP topics, as well as written for and been quoted in numerous media. She currently serves on the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Technology and Information Systems.

Update: Partner Marylee Jenkins was appointed to US Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) in January 2013 for an appointment term ending in December 2014. US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker recently extended Marylee’s appointment to December 2016.