Director Vidal Announces December Patent Office Departure (1)

Kathi Vidal will step down as the director of the US Patent and Trademark Office the second week of December, she said in a letter posted to LinkedIn on Tuesday.

She will return to the private sector, and Deputy Director Derrick Brent will take over running the office after her departure, Vidal said in her letter. The announcement comes one week after President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.

Vidal was nominated to head the agency by President Joe Biden in October 2021 while a partner at Winston & Strawn’s Silicon Valley office, and confirmed by the Senate in April 2022. ...