WASHINGTON—Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property (IP) and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Kathi Vidal announced today that Vaishali Udupa, an intellectual property attorney, engineer, and currently a top executive from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), will join the 13,000-person Department of Commerce agency as the new Commissioner for Patents effective January 17, 2023.
A nationally recognized and dynamic leader with over twenty years of experience in strategic IP advisement and complex litigation, Ms. Udupa brings a wealth of experience to the agency in areas of patent prosecution and litigation, global IP policy, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). In the private sector, Vaishali secured multiple IP trial wins and managed numerous IP cases to favorable resolutions in the United States and abroad. She assisted in the development of patent and trademark portfolios and counseled internal clients regarding licensing deals, asset acquisitions and agreements involving IP rights. Before that, as an attorney in private practice, she participated in multiple IP trials and counseled clients with respect to their IP portfolios. Her technological experience includes, among others, electronic devices, telecommunication systems, computer software, electronic commerce, consumer products, sporting goods, and medical devices. Read more