Obama's USPTO choice supports patent reform

The Obama Administration's choice to head the US Patent and Trademark Office, IBM's David Kappos, appears to be getting rave reviews, which can only partly be attributed to the fact that Kappos has been a prominent advocate of patent reform. Gigi B.Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, said, "President Obama has made an outstanding appointment in nominating David Kappos to become director of the Patent and Trademark Office. Kappos' background with a leading technology company ensures that he is aware of the need for reform of the patent process. We also hope that Kappos will reevaluate the role that PTO has played in copyright issues, concentrating instead on fixing the patent issues that need immediate attention."