Senator Leahy to Take Chair of IP Subcommittee

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I’ve been informed that, contrary to what many expected, Senator Leahy will be taking over the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, with Senator Coons moving to a newly reconstituted Privacy, Technology, and the Law Subcommittee.

Senator Leahy was one of the authors of the 2011 America Invents Act (AIA), and may wish to refocus the committee on the changes that have been made to AIA trials like inter partes review over the past few years.  He could also shift the Subcommittee’s focus away from patents and towards other areas of intellectual property.

The Republican Ranking Member for the Subcommittee is expected to be selected early next week.

Joshua Landau

Joshua Landau is the Patent Counsel at the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), where he represents and advises the association regarding patent issues.  Mr. Landau joined CCIA from WilmerHale in 2017, where he represented clients in patent litigation, counseling, and prosecution, including trials in both district courts and before the PTAB.

Prior to his time at WilmerHale, Mr. Landau was a Legal Fellow on Senator Al Franken’s Judiciary staff, focusing on privacy and technology issues.  Mr. Landau received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.S.E.E. from the University of Michigan.  Before law school, he spent several years as an automotive engineer, during which time he co-invented technology leading to U.S. Patent No. 6,934,140.

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