Nationally recognized leader has 20 years’ experience in IP advisement, complex litigation
Vaishali Udupa, an intellectual property attorney, engineer, and top executive from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, joined the 13,000-person Department of Commerce agency as the new commissioner for patents on January 17.
The announcement was made by Kathi Vidal, under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The commissioner for patents is a career position that oversees the agency’s 10,000 Patents employees, including more than 9,000 patent examiners responsible for fostering the country’s innovation system by providing patent protections to inventors as stated in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. She takes the reins of the Patents organization upon the retirement of Andrew Faile, acting commissioner for patents since January 2021, after more than 33 years at the agency.
A nationally recognized and dynamic leader with over 20 years of experience in strategic IP advisement and complex litigation, 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.
In the private sector, Udupa 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.
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