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Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Lee To Lead PTO

The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday unanimously approved Michelle Lee to lead the Patent and Trademark Office. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he was pleased that the committee unanimously approved Lee’s appointment, but said he was “disappointed” she was not “more…

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forthcoming during the confirmation process” when asked about patent troll legislation: “This is a critical problem that demands an effective legislative solution, and the USPTO Director must be actively involved in that process.” Hatch encouraged Lee to be more forthcoming if any other Senator asked her a question before her appointment to lead the PTO is put to a full Senate vote. Information Technology Industry Council CEO Dean Garfield urged the full Senate to quickly approve Lee’s nomination, saying the office “plays a critical role in advancing innovation because intellectual property is the foundation for the new products and cutting-edge technologies that are growing our economy and transforming our world.”