President-elect Donald Trump did not make intellectual property (IP) policy a major focus of his 2024 election campaign, but his policy priorities are nearly certain to have a profound effect on the IP landscape when he takes office in January. From leadership changes at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to shifts in biopharmaceutical patent policy to regulation of rapidly evolving fields like artificial intelligence (AI), here’s what the IP community can expect from a second Trump presidency.
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A New Director at the USPTO? 

The director of the USPTO has enormous influence on IP policy, and Trump’s appointee for that role is the most direct way he can impact it. President Joe Biden’s appointee, Kathi Vidal, was instrumental in establishing guidelines for director review and providing increased clarity surrounding discretionary denials at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), among other accomplishments. Vidal announced her resignation on Nov. 12, tapping Deputy Director Derrick Brent to assume her duties when she departs the office in December. While Trump has not yet floated a candidate for Vidal’s replacement, we can glean clues about the type of director he might choose from his first-term appointee, Andrei Iancu.