As commerce secretary, Locke will be responsible for regulating various government agencies, including the USPTO. He served as Washington State's governor from 1997 to 2005 and was the first Chinese-American governor in the US when he was elected.
Locke also served as a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine, where he handled matters for the firm's China practice, energy, governmental relations and corporate diversity counselling groups.
Obama’s first nominee for the post, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, withdrew in January amid controversy over government contracts his administration had awarded to one of his top financial supporters.
The president's second candidate, New Hampshire Republican Senator Judd Gregg, withdrew in mid-February, citing irreconcilable differences on policy issues.
The setbacks have held up the appointment of a new USPTO director, since the commerce secretary often confers with the President on office nominations under his/her jurisdiction.
According to the Innovation Alliance, an organisation that represents technology patent-owning companies including Qualcomm and InterDigital, Locke's answers to questions posed during the Senate confirmation hearings on patent reform legislation proved encouraging.
He said: “If confirmed, I would work with Congress on patent reform legislation that would enhance innovation by fairly balancing the interests of innovators across all industries and technologies. I agree that patent law reform should not favour one industry or any particular area of technology over another. Innovation is critical to creating jobs and bringing us out of the current economic downturn. Any statutory proposal must be weighed in terms of its effect on job creation and promotion of innovation. If confirmed, I will review all patent reform proposals from that perspective. If confirmed, I would not support any statutory reform that devalues patent holder's rights.”
