Andrei Iancu

Andrei Iancu
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property
In office
February 8, 2018 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byMichelle K. Lee
Succeeded byKathi Vidal
Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
In office
February 8, 2018 – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byMichelle K. Lee
Succeeded byKathi Vidal
Personal details
Born (1968-04-02) April 2, 1968 (age 56)
Bucharest, Romania[1]
SpouseDr. Luiza Cecilia Iancu
Children2
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles (BS, MS, JD)

Andrei Iancu (born April 2, 1968) is a Romanian-American engineer and intellectual property attorney, who served as the under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) from 2017 to 2021.[2] He was nominated for both positions in 2017 by President Donald Trump.[3][4] He left office on January 20, 2021.[5] He is currently a partner in Sullivan & Cromwell's intellectual property & technology practice.[6]

Early life and education

Iancu was born in Bucharest to Leon and Inda Iancu.[7][8] He emigrated to America with his family in 1981 at age 12,[9] settling in Los Angeles.[10] He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering in 1989, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering in 1990, and a Juris Doctor in 1996, all from the University of California, Los Angeles. At UCLA, he was initiated into Sigma Pi fraternity.[11]

Career

Before entering law school, Iancu was an engineer at Hughes Aircraft,[12] from 1989 to 1993.[13]

Following law school, Iancu joined Irell & Manella as an associate in 1999 and was later promoted to partnership. He was elected managing partner for two terms from 2012 to 2018.[14][3][15]

His legal practice focused on intellectual property litigation. As an attorney, Iancu appeared before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the United States International Trade Commission, U.S. district courts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.[12][16]

In 2006, while Iancu was a partner at Irell & Manella, the firm represented Donald Trump, NBC Universal and Mark Burnett in a copyright suit which alleged that Mark Bethea and Velocity Entertainment Group had originally pitched The Apprentice to the production team, under the title of CEO.[17] The case was "jointly settled out of court with an undisclosed settlement paid to Bethea" that year.[18]

Iancu is also a lecturer of patent law at his alma mater, the UCLA School of Law.[12][19]

USPTO

Iancu with President Donald Trump and Wilbur Ross during the signing of the ten millionth patent

Iancu was nominated by President Trump on August 26, 2017. A hearing on his nomination was held on November 29, 2017.[20] His nomination was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 14, 2017 by a voice vote.[21] He was confirmed by the Senate on February 5, 2018 by a 94–0 vote.[22][23] He assumed the offices of Under Secretary and Director on February 8, 2018, when he was sworn in.[2]

In 2020, Iancu was in office during the sharpest declines and inclines of trademark applications in history. COVID-19 lockdowns led to fewer filings in the beginning of the year, which then increased in July 2020, exceeding the previous July. September 2020 was subsequently the highest month of trademark filings in the history of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.[24]

Return to private practice

Iancu returned to Irell & Manella as a partner on April 1, 2021, with his practice focused on intellectual property litigation and counseling.[25][26][27][28][29] Three months later in July 2021, Irell & Manella announced the launch of its Washington, D.C. office, with Iancu at the helm.[30][31][32] In April 2022, retired former Federal Circuit judge Kathleen M. O'Malley joined his office in D.C.,[33][34][35][36] and a year later in July 2023, Sullivan & Cromwell announced that Iancu had moved to the firm along with Judge O'Malley.[37][38] He is based in Los Angeles and maintains an office in D.C.

Personal

Iancu is married to his wife Dr. Luiza Cecilia Iancu, a fellow Romanian-American immigrant. They have two children, Ariella Magen Iancu and Robert Gabriel Iancu.[39]

References

  1. ^ Brachmann, Steve; Quinn, Gene (October 15, 2017). "Andrei Iancu submits questionnaire to Senate, more info on USPTO Director nominee". IPWatchdog. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Fucito, Paul (February 8, 2018). "Andrei Iancu Begins Role as New Director of United States Patent and Trademark Office". U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Graham, Scott (August 25, 2017). "Irell's Andrei Iancu Is Trump's Choice for PTO Director". The National Law Journal. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  4. ^ Breland, Ali (August 25, 2017). "Trump nominates Andrei Iancu to be director of patent office". The Hill. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  5. ^ "Andrei Iancu Formally Bids Farewell to USPTO".
  6. ^ https://www.sullcrom.com/Lawyers/Andrei-Iancu [bare URL]
  7. ^ https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/mission-hills-ca/leon-iancu-6610496 [bare URL]
  8. ^ Iancu, Andrei (2017). "Questionnaire for Non-Judicial Nominees" (PDF). judiciary.senate.gov. U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  9. ^ Grigorescu, Denis (November 23, 2019). "Andrei Iancu, subsecretar al Comerțului în Administrația SUA: "Un copil imigrant, cum am fost eu, a putut evolua în societatea americană și ajunge în guvern"" [Andrei Iancu, Undersecretary of Commerce in the US Administration: "An immigrant child, like me, could evolve in American society and end up in the government"]. Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  10. ^ https://www.immigrationresearchforum.org/post/an-intellectual-property-lawyer-s-take-on-immigrants-centrality-to-american-innovation [bare URL]
  11. ^ "Iancu Named US Patent And Trademark Office Director". The Emerald of Sigma Pi. Vol. 103, no. 2. Summer 2019. p. 58.
  12. ^ a b c "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". whitehouse.gov. August 25, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017 – via National Archives.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  13. ^ "Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Who Is Andrei Iancu?". allgov.com. March 26, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  14. ^ https://www.law.com/therecorder/almID/1202538799894/ [bare URL]
  15. ^ "Andrei Iancu". propublica.org. ProPublica. March 7, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  16. ^ Greene, Kat (August 25, 2017). "Trump Taps Irell Partner Andrei Iancu To Lead USPTO". Law360. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  17. ^ "Mark Bethea Idea Theft Case against Mark Burnett Productions Will Begin Trial on Wednesday, May 31, 2006; Bethea Claims Burnett Stole Concept That Became The Apprentice". businesswire.com. UCLA School of Law. May 18, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  18. ^ Salkin, Allen (November 14, 2019). "The Long, Strange Beef Over Who Actually Invented 'The Apprentice'". vice.com. Vice Media. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  19. ^ "Andrei Iancu". ucla.edu. UCLA School of Law. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  20. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. November 29, 2018.
  21. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 14, 2017" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  22. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation Andrei Iancu, of California, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)". United States Senate. February 5, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  23. ^ Wolfe, Jan (February 5, 2018). "Lawyer Andrei Iancu confirmed to lead U.S. patent office". 1450 99.7 WHTC. Reuters. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  24. ^ "USPTO Director Andrei Iancu speaks on pandemic's effect on intellectual property". americanbar.org. American Bar Association. October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  25. ^ https://twitter.com/IrellandManella/status/1377653951777042435 [bare URL]
  26. ^ "Irell Welcomes Back Former USPTO Director Andrei Iancu".
  27. ^ https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/former-patent-chief-iancu-returns-to-irell-manella-in-firm-win [bare URL]
  28. ^ "Former PTO director Andrei Iancu rejoins Irell & Manella | Business Information & News | FE | Westlaw Today".
  29. ^ https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N2LU2LF/ [bare URL]
  30. ^ "Irell Adds DC Office and USPTO Associate Solicitor Philip Warrick".
  31. ^ "Irell to Open DC Office, with Plans to Recruit More".
  32. ^ https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/irells-andrei-iancu-helm-california-firms-new-dc-office-2021-07-07/ [bare URL]
  33. ^ https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/irell-manella-snags-former-federal-circuit-judge-omalley [bare URL]
  34. ^ https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/retired-federal-circuit-judge-joins-law-firm-irell-washington-dc-2022-04-21/ [bare URL]
  35. ^ "Federal Circuit's O'Malley Joins Irell—'Chance to Work with Andrei Was Very Important'".
  36. ^ "Employer Spotlight: Irell & Manella LLP | WashULaw CC Blog".
  37. ^ "Sullivan & Cromwell Strengthens IP Practice, Adding Former USPTO Director Andrei Iancu and Former Federal Circuit Judge Kathleen O'Malley (Ret.)".
  38. ^ "Iancu and O'Malley Head to Sullivan & Cromwell". July 11, 2023.
  39. ^ "Andrei Iancu".
  • Presidential Nomination no. 927, 115th Congress, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. September 5, 2017.
Government offices
Preceded by Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Succeeded by