WASHINGTON — The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) today urged members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to oppose the nomination of Katherine Vidal to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). CPA’s letter outlines Ms. Vidal’s career of working on behalf of Big Tech companies and her efforts as a litigator to invalidate patents at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Read CPA’s full letter here.
“After reviewing Ms. Vidal’s record, including her recent testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last December, it is abundantly clear that she is wholly unfit to lead the USPTO,” the letter states. “Ms. Vidal’s close ties to Big Tech and her professional track record as a litigator advocating for patent invalidation at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) are serious red flags that should warrant Members of this Committee to reject her nomination.”
“Ms. Vidal has been the poster child for the rampant problems within the USPTO, and more specifically within the PTAB. For nearly a decade, Big Tech has abused the U.S. patent system — despite claiming to be pro-patent — with the help of litigators like Ms. Vidal,” the letter continues. “For nearly her entire professional career, Ms. Vidal has represented Big Tech firms that have been accused of stealing Intellectual Property (IP) — including multinational corporations like Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Samsung, and Dell. Ms. Vidal’s clients also include 18 percent of all corporations that have sought to invalidate patents at the PTAB, including Apple (669), Samsung (576), Microsoft (224), Cisco (158), Micron (63), Netflix (41), Dell (40), Roku (36), and HP (30). Undoubtedly, she is a nominee that is more heavily tied to Big Tech than any previous Director, including Michelle Lee of Google.”
“As lawmakers who have voiced support for continued U.S. leadership in developing the technologies of the future, and for ensuring that the U.S. patent system protects IP and encourages innovation, we strongly urge you to oppose the nomination of Ms. Vidal,” the letter concludes.
Read CPA’s full letter here.
