May 18, 2022 – San Francisco
Kathi Vidal, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, will address the ChIPs Global Summit 2022, Friday, October 28 in San Francisco. The Global Summit will be held at the Fairmont Hotel October 27-28 and will be preceded by the ChIPs NextGen Summit October 26.
As the chief executive of the USPTO, Director Vidal leads one of the largest intellectual property (IP) offices in the world, with more than 13,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $4 billion. She is the principal IP advisor to the President and the Administration, through the Secretary of Commerce, and is focused on incentivizing and protecting U.S. innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity. She leads an agency whose mission is to help American workers and businesses compete and collaborate, especially in ground-breaking technologies and across all demographics.
As Director of the USPTO, Vidal is working to expand American innovation for and from all, and to bring more ideas to impact, including serving as the Vice Chair of the Council for Inclusive Innovation (CI2), alongside Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo and the Council members.
“ChIPs was formed in 2005 by seven women chiefs in intellectual property. During the tremendous growth of ChIPs, Kathi has been a supporter, advisory board member, and advocate, championing our mission along the way. We couldn’t think of a more perfect keynote speaker,” Joan Toth, executive director of ChIPs said. “We are thrilled to have Kathi join us as an expert on IP law and as a role model for the mission of ChIPs.”
Learn more about Director Vidal
Each year the ChIPs Global Summit brings together hundreds of women from law firms, corporations, government and academia for two days of programming and activities that “inspire, connect and grow our community of women in tech, law and policy.”
This event, which began as “just an idea among friends,” has became a global movement attracting senior leaders, entrepreneurs and disrupters from the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Canada.
Programming includes cutting-edge topics at the intersection of technology, law and policy, as well as insightful discussions about diversity and inclusion, career development, and leadership. Past panel topics have included artificial intelligence, technology and politics, fintech, cybersecurity, and using technology for social change.
About ChIPs
ChIPs is a 501(c)(3) organization with twenty chapters on four continents and more than 4,300 members around the world. ChIPs advances and connects women in technology, law, and policy. We seek to accelerate innovation through diversity of thought, participation, and engagement. Participation in ChIPs is open to anyone who shares in our mission.
About the USPTO
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency for granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. In doing this, the USPTO fulfills the mandate of Article I, Section 8, Clause 8, of the Constitution that the legislative branch “promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” The USPTO registers trademarks based on the commerce clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). Under this system of protection, American industry has flourished. New products have been invented, new uses for old ones discovered, and employment opportunities created for millions of Americans. The strength and vitality of the U.S. economy depends directly on effective mechanisms that protect new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity. The continued demand for patents and trademarks underscores the ingenuity of American inventors and entrepreneurs. The USPTO is at the cutting edge of the nation’s technological progress and achievement.
The USPTO advises the president of the United States, the secretary of commerce, and U.S. government agencies on intellectual property (IP) policy, protection, and enforcement; and promotes the stronger and more effective IP protection around the world. The USPTO furthers effective IP protection for U.S. innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide by working with other agencies to secure strong IP provisions in free trade and other international agreements. It also provides training, education, and capacity building programs designed to foster respect for IP and encourage the development of strong IP enforcement regimes by U.S. trading partners.
This story was updated July 21, 2022