US election 2020: five IP stories from the year

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

US election 2020: five IP stories from the year

Trump v Biden 2020 Presidential Election

As the Trump v Biden battle goes to the wire, Managing IP recaps on election-relevant stories from 2020

With several key states yet to declare, the US election is going to the wire – and may not even be decided today.

While you wait, Managing IP brings you five articles from 2020 that are relevant to the election. 

We will bring you more coverage when we know whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden will be the next US president. 

Election 2020: how politics shapes the pharma patent debate

Just a week before election day, reporter Charlotte Kilpatrick spoke to in-house counsel about how politics has attempted to chip away at patent rights in the pharma industry.

Sources said that while the result won’t have a dramatic impact on patents, they are keeping an eye on how politics could shape the pharma patent debate in the future nonetheless.

Iancu: there’s a lot still to be done – for me, or the next director

Americas editor Patrick Wingrove spoke to USPTO director Andrei Iancu, whom Trump appointed in 2017. 

In the interview, Iancu set out his hopes for the office, particularly in diversity and inclusion, and his proudest accomplishments since taking office in 2018.

Exclusive: DoJ antitrust chief reveals plans to leave in 2021

In October, Patrick Wingrove revealed that the head of the US Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division would step down after Trump’s first term regardless of the election result.

Makan Delrahim later reflected on his tenure as he prepares to depart – probably for the private sector.

Survey: in-house counsel on the US patent landscape

Long before election day, reporter Rani Mehta surveyed more than 50 in-house counsel on the state of the US patent landscape.

Among other findings, the survey showed that respondents wanted to see more remote hearings in the future and that Delaware (which happens to be Biden's home state) was their preferred court to litigate in.

In-house survey: Trump takes early edge over Biden on IP

As part of the survey in May, Rani Mehta found that Trump had taken an early edge over Biden, at least when it came to IP matters. 

When asked which man's IP views were better for their business, 20% voted Trump, 11% picked Biden, and the remainder either didn't know or picked neither candidate. 



more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Despite a broader slowdown in US IP partner hiring in 2025, litigation demand drove aggressive lateral expansion at select firms
Winston Taylor is expected to launch in May 2026 with more than 1,400 lawyers across the US, UK, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East
News of White & Case asking its London staff to work from the office four days a week and a loss for Canva at the Delhi High Court were also among the top talking points
With boutiques offering an attractive alternative to larger firms, former Gilbert’s partner Nisha Anand says her new firm will be built on tech-smart practitioners, flexible fees, and specialised expertise
IP specialists Jonathan Moss and Jessie Bowhill, who worked on cases concerning bitcoin, Ed Sheeran, and the Getty v Stability AI dispute, received the KC nod
Hannah Brown, an active AIPPI member, argues that DEI commitments must be backed up with actions, not just words
A ruling in the Kodak v Fujifilm dispute and a win for Google were among the major recent developments
Nick Aries and Elizabeth Louca at Bird & Bird unpick the legal questions raised by a very public social media spat concerning the ‘Brooklyn Beckham’ trademark
Michael Conway, who joined Birketts after nearly two decades at an IP boutique, says he was intrigued by the challenge of joining a general practice firm
The private-equity-backed firm said hires from DLA Piper and Eversheds Sutherland will help it become the IP partner of choice for innovative businesses
Gift this article