PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Rankin Byrne or Ruth Nyblod Phone: (571) 272-8400 or jennifer.rankin_byrne@uspto.gov or Ruth.Nyblod@uspto.gov

November 14, 2008 #08-40

USPTO Announces Interim Senior Management Reassignments Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced two temporary reassignments of responsibilities among its senior management, effective immediately. With the departure of Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO Margaret J.A. Peterlin from the agency this month, Commissioner for Patents John Doll will now serve as Acting Deputy Under Secretary and Deputy Director, performing the duties and functions of that position. During this interim period, Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations Margaret (“Peggy”) Focarino will assume the responsibilities of the Commissioner for Patents. “With John’s and Peggy’s leadership, we will ensure that the important work of the Deputy Under Secretary and Deputy Director, as well as that of the Commissioner for Patents, continues in an uninterrupted fashion, which is good for our employees, the agency and the intellectual property system,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Jon Dudas. Mr. Doll has been with the USPTO for more than 34 years, serving in a variety of capacities, including patent examiner, supervisory patent examiner and technology center director. He has been a driving force behind hiring record numbers of new examiners, and in aggressively expanding USPTO’s e-government programs, including EFS-Web—which now accounts for more than 70 percent of patent application filings. Ms. Focarino has been with the agency for more than 31 years, and has significant experience as a patent examiner, supervisory patent examiner and technology center director. During her tenure as Deputy Commissioner for Patent Operations, Ms. Focarino implemented a new approach to training examiners, and supported telework programs for patent examiners and technical support staff, all while maintaining record levels of performance in patent operations. ###