Rocky Mountain Regional United States Patent and Trademark Office Director Molly Kocialski will have a discussion at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 30 in McCollum Hall, room 125.

Kocialski will talk about recent, and future changes at the USPTO, including pilot programs pre- and post-Covid, USPTO initiatives and their impacts at the USPTO and on the IP community, and considerations for students, faculty and attorneys as they prepare for the future of IP law.

Director Kocialski will also briefly discuss expanding admission considerations for becoming a patent practitioner, including thoughts on issuing a different patent bar exam for design/plant patents.

As the regional director of the Rocky Mountain Regional United States Patent and Trademark Office since January 2016, Mollybeth (Molly) Kocialski has carried out the strategic direction of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and is responsible for leading the Rocky Mountain regional office. Focusing on the nine states within this region and actively engaging with the community, Kocialski ensures the USPTO’s initiatives and programs are tailored to the region’s unique ecosystem of industries and stakeholders. Kocialski brings more than 20 years of intellectual property experience to the USPTO. Kocialski is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law and received a bachelor of science in chemical engineering from the University of New Mexico. Kocialski is a registered patent attorney and is admitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the New York and Colorado state bars as well as to the United States Courts in those jurisdictions.

This event is open to faculty, staff, students and attorneys, and is co-hosted with the Student Intellectual Property Law Association with the College of Law

Light snacks and drinks will be provided.