Invent Together Congratulates Kathi Vidal on Her Confirmation as Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Invent Together’s Executive Director Holly Fechner released the following statement congratulating Kathi Vidal on her confirmation as Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO):

“Invent Together applauds the Senate for confirming Kathi Vidal as the Director of the USPTO, and we congratulate her on her new position. As an experienced patent litigator, Ms. Vidal brings an acute expertise in patent law and strong dedication to diversity in intellectual property. We have the utmost confidence that she will excel in this new role.

As an alliance working to address diversity gaps in invention and patenting, we are particularly excited about Kathi Vidal’s commitments to closing those gaps. The USPTO and leading researchers have found large and disturbing gaps in access to patents for women, people of color, and people from lower-income families. And while the USPTO has already taken important steps to understand and address these gaps, Ms. Vidal has committed to building on these efforts. Throughout her career, she has championed gender, race, and other forms of diversity, and as a member of the advisory board at ChIPs, she has helped to pave the way for women in law and technology. We look forward to working with Ms. Vidal to further diversify who invents and patents.”