Iancu and O’Malley Head to Sullivan & Cromwell

Former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director Andrei Iancu and retired U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) Judge Kathleen O’Malley are joining the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell in Los Angeles and Washington, DC, respectively. Both O’Malley and Iancu are presently with Irell & Manella. The two are also members of the Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP)—Iancu is Chairman of the Board and O’Malley is a Board Member.

Iancu rejoined Irell & Manella in 2021, following his departure from the USPTO. He served as USPTO Director from 2018-2021, and before that was Irell & Manella’s managing partner from 2012-2018. Iancu also co-founded the Renewing American Innovation Project at the bipartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in 2021. He will join Sullivan & Cromwell as a Partner in the Intellectual Property & Technology Practice.

O’Malley served as a judge with the CAFC for more than ten years before her departure from the court in 2022, and served as a federal judge for more than 27 years total. She was nominated by President Obama and was the first district court judge ever appointed to the court. At Irell & Manella, she served as Of Counsel focusing on litigation consulting. She will join Sullivan & Cromwell as Of Counsel in the IP & Technology Practice and Litigation Group.

Since leaving the USPTO, where his guidance on issues like patent subject matter eligibility was heralded by many patent owners, Iancu has been outspoken on the need to reform the U.S. innovation system. As Chairman of the Board of C4IP, Iancu today said in a press release that the the U.S. government should consider implementing the Council’s recent policy proposals to ensure its continued position as the world’s innovation leader. “The United States has long been a powerhouse for innovation and entrepreneurship. If we are to keep that perch, Congress must ensure that American businesses, creators, and inventors have secure IP rights,” Iancu said.

IPWatchdog will have more on the C4IP report soon.