FICPI // Focus 45 Webinar Series // USPTO

Drew Hirshfeld currently performs the functions and duties of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). 

In this role, he serves as an advisor to the President, through the Secretary of Commerce, on national and various international intellectual property (IP) issues. He also manages more than 13,000 employees and executes the policies, priorities, and programs of one of the largest IP offices in the world, with an annual budget of nearly $4 billion.

Named one of Managing IP’s Top 50 Most Influential People in IP in 2021, Hirshfeld led the agency’s response to the June 2021 Arthrex Supreme Court decision by implementing an interim Director review process that could be initiated sua sponte or by request from a party to a Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceeding, oversaw the implementation of the Trademark Modernization Act, and expanded the agency’s education and outreach programming to a wider variety of audiences, among other notable accomplishments. Hirshfeld also serves as a member of the Precedential Opinion Panel (POP) deciding issues of exceptional importance to the PTAB. 

Before leading the agency, Hirshfeld served as Commissioner for Patents from 2015 to 2021. During that time, he successfully managed efforts to ensure the consistency and reliability of patent grants, led a historic reorganization of the Patents division to better serve stakeholders, and implemented policies that provided all patent examiners with guidance and training to efficiently and effectively conduct quality examinations. 

Prior to serving as Commissioner, Hirshfeld held the positions of Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy and Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. He began his career in 1994 as a patent examiner and became a supervisory patent examiner in 2001. He was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in 2008 as a Group Director in Technology Center 2100.

Hirshfeld received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont and a J.D. from Western New England College School of Law.

Louis-Pierre Gravelle is Partner at Bereskin & Parr in Canada and Vice President of FICPI's Professional Excellence Committee (PEC)

Louis-Pierre specialises in the drafting and prosecution of patent applications and providing patentability, validity, infringement and right to manufacture opinions in the fields of electricity, telecommunications, mechanical and information technology. He is a registered patent agent in Canada and in the United States (1998).

Louis-Pierre is involved in due diligence matters and managing patent portfolios. He is also involved in strategic counselling for start-ups, small, medium and large-sized businesses.

A member of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) and the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), Louis-Pierre was called to the Québec Bar in 1995. He is also a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ). Louis-Pierre Gravelle is past-chair of the Intellectual Property Section of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and past co-president of the Joint Liaison Committee – Patents between the Patent office and IPIC. He is a Councillor for FICPI Canada.

He is listed in the IAM Patents 1000, and has been since 2012. Louis-Pierre is often called upon to speak on a variety of IP-related topics, at local and international conferences and events.