Dive Brief:
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U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Michelle Lee will reportedly remain in that role under the Trump administration, according to The Hill and multiple other sources.
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Despite rumors Lee planned to vacate the role or be replaced, it now appears she will stay on.
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Lee has been a proponent of patent reform during her tenure at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Lee was formerly a lawyer for Google.
Dive Insight:
Lee staying on as head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is considered good news to tech companies like Google that have been pushing for patent reform. Several tech companies are pushing to reform the patent process because they are being sued by "patent trolls," companies that accuse other businesses of patent infringement on the chance they might win some settlement money.
Overall, 2016 saw 304,126 patent grants, the most on record in a single year and tech companies led the way. Last year, the top five most-awarded companies included IBM, Samsung, Canon, Qualcomm and Google. The growth of patents filed indicates that the tech industry continues to push the innovation envelope.
