Michelle Lee expected to “hit the ground running” as USPTO director

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Cookies Settings

Michelle Lee expected to “hit the ground running” as USPTO director

AIPLA has welcomed the nomination of Michelle Lee to serve as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO

michelle20lee20uspto150.jpg

Wayne Sobon, president of the Association, congratulated Lee. “She will hit the ground running as she faces the multitude of challenges in this role, and we are confident that she will achieve significant and speedy success,” he said in a statement. “At this critical time for the Office and in the IP world generally, filling this important position is long past due.”

“As fellow residents of Silicon Valley who’ve known each other throughout our careers, and in particular as fellow members on the USPTO’s Patent Public Advisory Committee, I appreciate Michelle’s many talents and I am confident that we will be able to work effectively and collaboratively with her in tackling the significant issues ahead.”

Lee has served as Deputy Director of the USPTO since December 2013, and is a former Deputy General Counsel at Google.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

The firm reveals how its litigation strategies informed the arguments that took Masimo’s judgment past $818 million
The firm was rebuilding its IP practice through a string of patent hires and a Texas expansion, but its dissolution has put the newly built talent back into the market
AI can exploit longstanding gaps in copyright protection at remarkable speed, but EU law still provides tools to fight back, says Simon Hembt at Bird & Bird
The firm has tapped a local patent trio to establish a foothold in the market and broaden its national presence
New Asia-Pacific IP head Jonathan Chu is eyeing opportunities arising from Chinese technology licensing, overseas enforcement and increasingly IP-heavy cross-border deals
Europe’s largest intellectual property convention and trade fair is back: IP Service World 2026 takes place in Munich from November 23–25 – the 16th edition, with 1,400-plus attendees from 55-plus nations, 100-plus speakers, and 100-plus exhibitors. Three days. Two focused areas. One IP marketplace.
Mehmet Gün and Uğur Aktekin discuss four decades of change in Türkiye’s legal market, the firm’s commitment to independence and the challenge of building an institution that can outlast its founders
Boehringer Ingelheim has instructed a team from Kirkland, while Teva is being represented by Pinsent Masons
The Delhi High Court’s latest directions offer an opportunity to move beyond remedies against bad-faith registrations and address how suspicious applications are identified in the first place, says Fatima Baig at Lexlinc
Camilla Hamrin describes how the acquisition by Acapo Onsagers will impact Bergenstråhle’s trademark practice – and reflects on changes she has seen over 30 years in IP
Gift this article