Tracy-Gene G. Durkin Named Vice Chair of USPTO’s Patent Public Advisory Committee

Washington, D.C. (December 20, 2021) – Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is pleased to announce that Director Tracy-Gene G. Durkin, leader of the firm’s Mechanical & Design Practice Group and a member of the Trademark & Brand Protection Practice, has been named to a one-year term as Vice Chair of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC).

Created under the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999, the PPAC advises the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the USPTO on the management of patent and trademark operations. Durkin was first named to the committee in 2019 for a three-year term by then-Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. In designating her for this leadership position, current Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo cited Durkin’s ability to help the USPTO “in its dedicated mission to provide the highest quality of service to those individuals who use the patent system and to protect the intellectual property of patent owners.”

“I am incredibly honored to be selected for this prestigious post on the USPTO’s PPAC,” said Durkin. “The committee’s work related to patent operations is vital to all those who use the nation’s patent system, and I look forward to serving as its Vice Chair over the next year.”

On December 16, 2021, the USPTO issued a press release announcing Durkin’s and other PPAC appointments. Last month, Durkin contributed to the PPAC’s 2021 Annual Report as chair of its Outreach Regional Offices and International subcommittee. The report is available on the USPTO website here.

About Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox

Based in Washington, D.C. and renowned for more than four decades for dedication to the protection, transfer, and enforcement of intellectual property rights, Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is one of the most highly regarded intellectual property specialty law firms in the world. Its team of attorneys, registered patent agents, students, and technical specialists include some of the country’s most respected practitioners of IP law tackling innovations across a broad spectrum of industries. The firm’s practitioners hold over 50 masters and over 50 doctorate degrees in science or engineering and represent Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, start-ups, inventors, venture capital firms, and universities in a client service driven environment that is welcoming, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating. Visit the firm online at sternekessler.com.