Another pleasant surprise. A colleague shared with me this tweet by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) featuring Director Andrei Iancu and Chief Policy Officer (CPO) and Director for International Affairs Shira Perlmutter at our 63rd Annual IP Conference (https://twitter.com/uspto/status/1194351745104674821).

Director Iancu’s flight the previous day was canceled due to inclement weather. The fact that he made every effort to take the first flight out to participate in the patent plenary session spoke volumes about his professionalism and commitment to the event. His remarks were inspiring and heartfelt. Many participants shared with me that his presence was much appreciated. We will be posting transcripts of all 13 conference sessions soon, so you can read them for yourselves!

CPO/Director Perlmutter spoke at our copyright and trademark plenary session. She also co-chaired the invitation-only roundtable on artificial intelligence the day before. The roundtable featured over 50 leaders from industry, government, academia, practice, and nonprofits.

We are grateful to the USPTO’s support and look forward to continuing partnering with them to promote dialogue, debate, and understanding between stakeholders in the IP world. The complex and interrelated common challenges require it, but these exchanges also help make our work more convivial and meaningful.