Vaishali Udupa, an intellectual property attorney, engineer, and formerly a top executive from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), has joined the 13,000-person Department of Commerce agency as the new Commissioner for Patents, effective 17th January 2023.
The US Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property (IP) and Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Kathi Vidal announced the news in December 2022 and said:
“As our agency continues its focus on bringing more individuals into the innovation ecosystem, especially more individuals from communities and areas across America that have yet to fully participate, clarifying rules on what creations are eligible for patents for the greater good of the patent system, and working with union leadership to further energize and invigorate our valued patent corps, I am confident Vaishali is the right leader for our esteemed Patents organization.”
Director Vidal added, “Vaishali understands that the innovation system must work for all stakeholders. She also knows the importance of service and working with our colleagues in patents to foster innovation and opportunity. I am excited to work with her, the unions, and the rest of USPTO leadership and all our patents colleagues to advance policies and procedures that will incentivize and protect more innovation from across our great country, in every state and county.”