U.S. National Design Policy Initiative

Report on Meeting with the USPTO

On Tuesday, May 26, 2009, the U.S. National Design Policy Initiative met with the staff of the USPTO including:

• John Doll, Acting Under Secretary of IP and Acting Director USPTO;
• Jasemeen Chambers, Director of Technology Center 2900;
• Mary Critharis, Karin Ferriter, and Tom Hinckey, Advisers in Office of IP Policy and Enforcement;
• Nicole Dretar, Legal Advisor, Office of Latent Legal Administration;
• Joel Sincavage, Design Practice Specialist, Tech Center 2900;
• Elizabeth Dougherty and Brian Hanlon, Sr. Advisers to Acting the Undersecretary and Director.

The desired outcomes of the meeting were to:

1. Get a clear POV on the USPTO's willingness and feasibility of supporting an American Design Council and Assist. Secretary of Design and Innovation position
2. Develop a set of well defined next steps/conversations for the Initiative and other design policy proposals.

The outcomes of the meeting were productive and we left with the following understandings:

1. the USPTO believes that an American Design Council is a good idea
2. our mandate is broader that USPTO, thus we need to find an appropriate home for the American Design Council within Commerce but at a higher level, the Office of Science and Technology in the White House, or even a Presidential Advisory Council
3. the concept of an Assistant Secretary of Design and Innovation position within Commerce is a "heavy lift" and probably infeasible
4. the design communities need to work closer with the USPTO regarding issues of Intellectual Property. Our advice and recommendations would be welcomed and we can do more to share with the design communities the resources that the USPTO provides.

We left the meeting with a great ally in Eleanor Meltzer, Chief of Staff for the USPTO. We are now working with her to elevate our message with Secretary Locke and other incoming Under Secretaries in the Department of Commerce.

In attendance from the U.S. National Design Policy Initiative were:

• Dr. Elizabeth (Dori) Tunstall, Organizer, U.S. National Design Policy Initiative
• Mr. Paul Mendelsohn, V.P. Government and Community Relations, American Institute of Architects
• Mr. Andrew Goldberg, Senior Director of Federal Relations, American Institute of Architects
• Mr. William O. Barrett, Executive Director, Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design
• Mr. Brian Vogel, Interim Executive Director, Industrial Designers Society of America

U.S. NDPI to meet with U.S. Dept. of Commerce

The U.S. National Design Policy Initiative will meet on May 26th with Acting Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office John Doll.

The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss possible USPTO "sponsorship" for an American Design Council and the establishment of an Assistant Secretary of Design and Innovation position within Dept. of Commerce.

This is an exciting first step in bringing closer to reality Policy Proposal #1 Formalize an American Design Council to partner with the U.S. Government and Policy Proposal #4 Create an Assistant Secretary for Design and Innovation position within the Department of Commerce to promote design.

Look for the report of the meeting on this website.