People: New Lead For US Global IP Policy; KEI Lawyer To MSF; Copyright Kings In Washington

An American industry representative with European ties has been named to take over the role of coordinating and communicating US international policy on patents and trademarks. Meanwhile, a key civil society lawyer became US manager of the Doctors without Borders Access to Medicines campaign. And a music industry lawyer central to several landmark copyright cases has been nominated to be the next solicitor general.

Albert Tramposch was appointed yesterday by the US Patent and Trademark Office to be administrator for policy and external affairs. He will advise USPTO Director David Kappos and oversee work with the US Congress on patent reform and other legislation. But he also will oversee coordination and communication with IP offices worldwide, as well as negotiation and implementation of international IP-related treaties.

Other areas of responsibility include: “education and training, as carried out under the Global Intellectual Property Academy (GIPA); global IP leadership through administration of the IP Attaché Program; and economic analysis,” as carried out by the recently named USPTO chief economist.

The United States is the biggest recipient of patent filings in the world and has a key – and sometimes unpopular – role in international intellectual property policymaking.

Tramposch takes over the position vacated by Arti Rai, who returned to Duke Law School last autumn. During Rai’s time, the focus of the office was more on the domestic side than international.

Tramposch is currently deputy executive director for international and regulatory issues at the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) in Washington, DC. AIPLA Executive Director Q. Todd Dickinson said in a statement that he had been a “wonderful leader” for the industry organisation.

Tramposch moves comfortably through international environments like the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), where he was once held the post of director of industrial property law, heading the WIPO team for the Diplomatic Conference (high level negotiation) for the Adoption of the Patent Law Treaty in 2000, and was responsible for the Standing Committee on Trademarks, the Standing Committee on Patents, and the Advisory Committee on Enforcement, according to the USPTO release.

But before joining the AIPLA, he represented the European Union in negotiations in Geneva, both at WIPO and at the World Health Organization. With his easygoing manner, he was effective at the WHO in blocking an effort to include a reference to ensuring access and benefit sharing in relation to capacity building in developing countries (IPW, WHO, 21 May 2009).

He is a licensed attorney in the United States, according to USPTO. He also worked for Romulus consulting group, according to Knowledge Ecology International.

Separately, Tomoki Sawai has assumed the position of director of the International Affairs Division at the Japan Patent Office.

KEI Attorney Rius Sanjuan to MSF

In another key move in public health debates, attorney Judit Rius Sanjuan, considered a highly effective attorney during her past few years with Knowledge Ecology International, has joined Médicins sans Frontières (Doctor without Borders) in New York. Rius is the new US Manager of MSF’s Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines.

Rius joined KEI in 2006 out of Stanford Law School. She will join another former KEI lawyer, Michelle Childs, at MSF. KEI said in a statement that she “contributed greatly to nearly every aspect of KEI’s work” and that in addition to continuing an overlap on medical innovation issues, she will continue to work with KEI in her personal capacity on negotiations for a WIPO treaty for persons who are blind or have other disabilities.

Meanwhile, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative North America (DNDi NA) appointed Rachel M. Cohen regional executive director. She will lead DNDi’s North American affiliate office, contributing to DNDi’s mission of developing new treatments for neglected diseases.

Cohen came from MSF, where she held several senior positions over the past 11 years. Most recently, she served for four years as Head of Mission for MSF in South Africa and Lesotho, where she oversaw numerous medical programs, primarily focused on providing HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis treatment. Before going to the field, Cohen was the US Director of MSF’s Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines in New York.

Cohen earned her Master’s degree in public policy from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Trade Associations

Brian Raymond, a technology policy expert, joined the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) as director, technology and domestic economic policy. Raymond will work on technology policy issues ranging from patent reform, privacy issues and cyber/data security to net neutrality, R&D funding and intellectual property protection, NAM said. He previously spent more than 8 years on IBM’s Washington government relations team, and launched the government affairs office of NetApp Corporation, headquartered in Silicon Valley. He also worked for TechAmerica and was most recently deputy chief of staff for Representative Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat, with responsibility for technology and telecommunications issues.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) made promotions in its content protection operations. Mike Robinson, former head of the Michigan state police who has been with MPAA since 2006, was promoted to executive vice president, content protection, chief of operations. In addition, Kevin Suh became senior vice president, content protection, internet. Suh will continue to report to Robinson who, in turn, reports to Daniel Mandil, senior executive vice president, general counsel and chief content protection officer.

Also at MPAA, Paul Brigner was named senior vice president and chief technology policy officer, a newly created role. “As the principal technologist and technology policy strategist for the MPAA, Brigner will serve as the lead executive on technology issues impacting the protection of intellectual property,” MPAA said. “He will also be directly involved in work on industry-wide content standards that will enable consumers to easily access content in the digital age.” Brigner reports to president and interim CEO Bob Pisano, and is based in Washington, DC.

The International Chamber of Commerce in Paris announced Jean-Guy Carrier was elected secretary general, after serving as acting secretary general since July 2010. He is also director of programmes for ICC’s Research Foundation. Harold McGraw III, chairman of the United States Council for International Business and president and chief executive officer of The McGraw-Hill Companies, became ICC vice-chairman. He replaced Stephen Green, former chairman of HSBC, who became trade minister for the UK government.

Around the Firms

Separately, law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips added an international litigator to its Washington, DC office. Mike S. Ryu joined the office from French law firm Cabinet Beau de Loménie with more than 20 years of experience in the intellectual property field.

“Ryu’s practice centers on strategic counseling regarding obtaining, exploiting and defending intellectual property rights in the United States and abroad, with an emphasis on patent-related issues. His diverse technical expertise includes semiconductor chip manufacturing, glass and carbon fiber-reinforced composite materials, thin-film transistors, data network applications, gas turbine engines, and medical devices,” the firm said in a release.

Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP announced that Douglas E. Lumish joined the firm as a partner and will head the firm’s intellectual property group. Lumish formerly was a partner in the litigation department and the patent practice group of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Jeffrey G. Homrig, formerly litigation counsel with Weil, also joined the Kasowitz firm as a partner in the intellectual property group. Both lawyers will move to Kasowitz’s new Silicon Valley office, which will be headed by Lumish.

Barnes & Thornburg law firm in Columbus, Ohio added local trademark and copyright attorney Nicolette R. Hudson. Hudson, is of counsel in the firm’s Intellectual Property Department, and previously was a member at Frost Brown Todd LLC in Columbus. She works on trademark and copyright prosecution, counseling and enforcement, with a special focus on advertising issues.

Quinn Emanuel law firm announced that Gillian Thackray joined the firm as a partner in the San Francisco office. She joined from Covington & Burling LLP. Thackray concentrates her practice on patent litigation and strategic patent counsel and her cases have spanned technologies such as medical devices, telecommunications networking, chemical compounds and semiconductor design.

Copyright Crusader Nominated for US Solicitor General

The Obama White House has nominated Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. to be solicitor general of the United States at the Justice Department. Verrilli, who is currently deputy counsel to the President, joined Justice in February 2009 after more than 20 years representing the private sector at Jenner & Block law firm. Most notably, he participated in more than 100 cases before the Supreme Court and argued 12.

Verrilli made headlines when he represented the Recording Industry Association of America against online file-sharing service Grokster, resulting in the shutdown of Grokster in 2005 and a $50 million settlement. He also represented RIAA against Jammie Thomas, a Minnesota woman who became the symbol of inflated damages in cases against citizens who download unauthorised music. He also sued Google and YouTube on behalf of Viacom in an ongoing case claiming damages of $1 billion.

The solicitor general has great influence over the Supreme Court’s decisions on which cases to take, according to the American University Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property. Verrilli would fill the position left open by Elena Kagan, who was appointed to the Supreme Court.

Overall, many of the appointees to the Obama administration who could be said to favour the technology industry and open access thinking have already moved to the exits, and are being replaced with heavy-hitting copyright industry favourites.

Verrilli will replace acting solicitor general Neal Katyal. British blog IP Kat gave a wry view of the move as indicative of US politics and corporate might mixing with the judiciary:

“Verrilli takes over from acting solicitor general, Neal Katyal. Katyal, although a top choice for the nomination was considered to be too challenging a choice to get past the now Republican saturated Senate. In 2006 in Hamden v Rumsfeld, the Supreme Court ruled against the Bush administration in their plans to hold military commission trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees. Katyal was part of this legal team. The AmeriKat is sadly not surprised that a lawyer with specialization in the telecommunications and IP, with multi-billion dollar industry clients would be a more palatable choice for some Senate Republicans than a lawyer who won a case against the Bush administration. Americans love nothing more than mixing a bit of politics with their judiciary!”

USPTO Advisory Committee Appointments

Separately, the USPTO announced new and reappointed members of its advisory committees, the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) and the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC).

Reappointed to the PPAC are: Louis J. Foreman, founder and chief executive of Enventys, a product design and engineering firm; and Esther M. Kepplinger, who is currently director for patent operations at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Kepplinger, and who served for five years as the deputy commissioner for patent operations at the USPTO. New on the committee is Wayne P. Sobon, associate general counsel and director of intellectual property for Accenture.

The new and reappointed TPAC members are: Anne H. Chasser, associate vice president for intellectual property at the University of Cincinnati, and former trademark commissioner; Deborah A. Hampton, an intellectual property manager at Limited Brands and a leading figure at the International Trademark Association; and Maury M. Tepper, III, an intellectual property attorney and former director and trademark counsel for GlaxoSmithKline, who also is an active participant in INTA.

The committees were created by the 1999 American Inventors Protection Act to advise the secretary of Commerce and the under secretary of Commerce for intellectual property and director of the USPTO on the management of patent and trademark operations including goals, performance, budget, and user fees. Each committee has nine voting members who are appointed to three-year terms by the Secretary of Commerce, according to the Commerce Department.