Bernard Knight Jr., former general counsel at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, played a significant role in the creation of the America Invents Act, the 2011 law that has been touted as the most significant change to the U.S. patent system in more than 60 years. Even though the AIA has transformed patent law, Congress is already writing legislation that could further reform the system.
Yet, it’s happening at a time when the PTO is without a director. President Barack Obama has yet to name a replacement for David Kappos, who stepped down in February to join Cravath, Swaine & Moore. And the PTO’s acting director, Teresa Stanek Rea, announced in September that she too plans to resign. Against this background of an agency in flux, reporter Lisa Shuchman spoke with Knight, who is now a partner at McDermott Will & Emery. An edited version of that interview follows.
