[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 22 (Monday, February 5, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S595]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       NOMINATION OF ANDREI IANCU

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise in support of the nomination of 
Andrei Iancu to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual 
Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
  USPTO is critically important. It is a critically important agency 
that stands at the crossroads of innovation, technology, and property 
rights. It is tasked with ensuring that our laws properly compensate 
ingenuity and invention, while at the same time stopping bad actors who 
seek to game the system.
  Intellectual property has been a focus of mine throughout my entire 
Senate service. Early in my tenure, I authored the Hatch-Waxman Act, 
which made possible the rise of the modern generic drug industry. More 
recently, I played a key role in the America Invents Act, which 
rebalanced our patent system to ensure high-quality patents and reduce 
abusive litigation. Just last Congress, I authored the Defend Trade 
Secrets Act, a landmark piece of legislation that created a federal 
private cause of action to prevent trade secret theft and other 
nefarious activity.
  I have also led the charge against patent trolling--the practice of 
buying up patents solely for the purpose of bringing lawsuits--and 
argued forcefully that forum shopping in patent cases must not be 
allowed. I was gratified to see the Supreme Court last year strike a 
blow against abusive forum shopping in its TC Heartland decision.
  In my remaining months here in this body, I intend to continue ahead 
full-bore on intellectual property reform. Digital music licensing, 
royalties for visual artists, and online filtering are just a few of my 
intellectual property priorities for this year.
  Given my focus on intellectual property, I take a keen interest in 
the Patent and Trademark Office and in the individual selected to run 
the office. I have to say that I couldn't be more pleased by President 
Trump's nomination of Andrei Iancu to be the next USPTO Director.
  Andrei has an extensive background in patent litigation. He is a 
partner at Irell & Manella, one of the Nation's leading intellectual 
property law firms. For 6 years, he was the firm's managing partner. 
Andrei has represented clients across the spectrum, from tech companies 
to drug manufacturers to aerospace firms. He understands all sides of 
patent law because he has litigated all sides.
  In an area fraught with allegiances to particular industries or 
groups, Andrei can bring a neutral, unbiased perspective because he has 
already had to approach issues from so many different angles.
  Andrei has been named a leader in intellectual property and patent 
law by Chambers USA every year for the last 11 years. He has been named 
attorney of the year by California Lawyer and lawyer of the year by the 
Los Angeles Business Journal. His bona fides are top notch. I have full 
confidence that Andrei will make an outstanding USPTO Director.
  Subject-matter eligibility, PTAB reform, and continued controversies 
over forum shopping are just a handful of the issues that will soon be 
coming across his desk. There will also be questions about fee setting, 
fee diversion, and IT modernization. As I move forward on my 
intellectual property priorities this year, I look forward to working 
with Andrei and his future colleagues at USPTO to make our patent and 
trademark system the best it can possibly be.
  We owe it to the American people to ensure that our intellectual 
property laws keep pace with our rapidly changing world. That has 
always been one of my chief focuses here in this body, and it will 
continue to be so throughout the rest of my term.

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