View source for Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property

{{Infobox official post
| post           = United States<br>Under Secretary of Commerce<br>for Intellectual Property
| flag           = 
| flagborder     = no
| flagsize       = 150
| insignia       = Seal of the United States Department of Commerce.svg
| insigniasize   = 120
| image          = Kathi Vidal, USPTO Director (cropped).jpg
| incumbent      = [[Kathi Vidal]]
| incumbentsince = April 19, 2022
| formation      = January 17, 2001
| first          = [[Q. Todd Dickinson]]
| website        = {{URL|www.uspto.gov}}
}}

The '''Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property''', or '''USC(IP)''', is a senior official in the [[United States Department of Commerce]] and the principal advisor to the [[United States Secretary of Commerce]] on the [[intellectual property]] matters. In tandem, the Under Secretary  is also the Director of the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] within the Commerce Department, filling dual roles.<ref name="a">{{cite web | title=Executive Bio print - Dudas | url=http://www.uspto.gov/biographies/bio_dudas.htm |access-date= September 16, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819134950/http://www.uspto.gov/biographies/bio_dudas.htm |archive-date = August 19, 2007}}</ref>

The Under Secretary is appointed by the [[President of the United States]], with the consent of the [[United States Senate]], to serve at the pleasure of the President. President Trump nominated Andrei Iancu to fill the position on August 25, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=USPTO Update from John Cabeca, Silicon Valley Director | date=14 September 2017 |url=http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2017/09/14/uspto-update-john-cabeca-silicon-valley-director/id=87951/}}</ref> He was confirmed on February 5, 2018, with a 94-0 vote. He left office on January 20, 2021.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1351952729678209026|user=uspto|title=As of noon today, Commissioner for Patents Drew Hirshfeld began performing the functions and duties of the Under Se…<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |date=20 January 2021}}</ref>

==Overview==
As the Director of the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]], the Under Secretary is responsible for administering laws relevant to granting [[patent]]s and [[trademark]]s, and for the daily management of the agency's budget and more than 8,000 employees.<ref name="a"/> The Under Secretary is also obligated to conduct programs and studies regarding intellectual property, and to conduct cooperative programs with other foreign intellectual property offices.

The rank of Under Secretary is a Level III position within the [[Executive Schedule]]. In January 2010, the annual rate of pay for Level&nbsp;III is $165,300.{{cn|date=September 2020}}

==History==
The position of Under Secretary and Director of the United States Patent Office was created by the Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act,<ref>Patent and Trademark Office Efficiency Act, [http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-106publ113/content-detail.html Pub.L. 106-113], 113&nbsp;[[United States Statutes at Large|Stat.]]&nbsp;1501A-572, enacted November&nbsp;29, 1999.<!-- Note, preceding is subst'd and edited from {{USStatute}}, which fails parsing "1501A-572" --></ref> which was signed into law by President [[Bill Clinton]] on November 29, 1999. It was made effective January 17, 2001, by Department of Commerce Department Organization Order (DOO) no. 10-14.<ref name=DOO10-14>{{cite web | title=Department Organization Order 10-14 | url=http://www.osec.doc.gov/bmi/doo10-14.htm  | date = January 17, 2001| access-date= September 16, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030405134038/http://www.osec.doc.gov/bmi/doo10-14.htm |archive-date = April 5, 2003}}</ref> The DOO abolished the position's predecessor, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks. The act mandated the creation of the Deputy Under Secretary and Deputy Director, who assist the Under Secretary, as well as other aspects of the reorganization of the office as a federal agency.<ref name=DOO10-14/><ref>{{USC|35|3}}</ref>

==Reporting officials==
Officials reporting to the USC(IP)/Director include:
*Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property/Deputy Director of the Patent and Trademark Office
*Commissioner for Patents
*Commissioner for Trademarks

==Officeholders==
{{main|List of people who have headed the United States Patent Office#Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office}}
[[File:David Kappos being sworn as USPTO Director (2009-08-13).jpg|thumb|275px|right|[[David Kappos]] (right) being sworn in as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director, by Secretary of Commerce [[Gary Locke]], as Kappos's wife, Leslie, holds the bible, August 13, 2009]]

[[Kathi Vidal]] currently serves as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property, assuming the role in 2022. [[Andrei Iancu]] served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property from 2017 to 2021. [[Michelle K. Lee|Michelle Lee]] was Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property from 2014 to 2017, with Joseph Matal and [[Teresa Stanek Rea]] serving as [[Acting (law)|Acting]] USC(IP)s before and after, respectively. Lee was succeeded by [[David Kappos]]. Prior, [[John J. Doll|John Doll]] was Acting Under Secretary, after replacing [[Jon Dudas]], who resigned on January 20, 2009. Dudas had been appointed by President [[George W. Bush]] in July 2004, and had served as acting Under Secretary since 2002.<ref name="a"/> Previous Under Secretaries include [[James E. Rogan]] and inaugural officeholder [[Q. Todd Dickinson]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Testimony of Q. Todd Dickinson | url=http://judiciary.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?id=1582&wit_id=4548 | access-date= September 27, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070830014125/http://judiciary.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?id=1582&wit_id=4548 |archive-date = August 30, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=  Office of the Director | url=http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/comm.html |access-date= September 27, 2007 | archive-url=  https://web.archive.org/web/20011217102804/http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/comm.html |archive-date=  December 17, 2001 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of people who have headed the United States Patent Office]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{USDC agencies}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Under Secretary Of Commerce For Intellectual Property}}
[[Category:United States Under Secretaries of Commerce| ]]
[[Category:Under Secretaries of Commerce for Intellectual Property|*]]