{{Short description|American lawyer (born 1968)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Kathi Vidal | image = Kathi Vidal, USPTO Director (cropped).jpg | caption = Vidal in 2022 | office = Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property | term_start = April 19, 2022 | term_end = December 16, 2024 | president = Joe Biden | predecessor = Andrei Iancu | successor = John A. Squires | office1 = Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office | term_start1 = April 13, 2022 | term_end1 = December 16, 2024 | president1 = Joe Biden | predecessor1 = Andrei Iancu | successor1 = John A. Squires | birth_name = Katherine Antoinette Kelly | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1968}} | birth_place = Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | party = | spouse = | education = Binghamton University (BS)<br />Syracuse University (MS)<br />University of Pennsylvania (JD) }}

'''Katherine "Kathi" Kelly Vidal''' (born 1968)<ref name="Questionnaire">{{cite web|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/211031%20Katherine%20Vidal%20Senate%20Questionaire%20Public%2010.30.21%20(002).pdf|title=Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees|publisher=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|access-date=June 10, 2023}}</ref> is an American intellectual property lawyer and former engineer who served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office USPTO) from 2022 to 2024.

== Education == Vidal earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Binghamton University, a Master of Science in electrical engineering from Syracuse University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-04|title=Kathi Vidal Floated as Possible USPTO Director Nominee|url=https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2021/10/04/kathi-vidal-floated-possible-uspto-director-nominee/id=138354/|access-date=2021-10-26|website=IPWatchdog.com {{!}} Patents & Patent Law|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/biden-nominates-winston-strawn-partner-kathi-vidal-lead-uspto-2021-10-26/|title=Biden nominates Winston & Strawn partner Kathi Vidal to lead USPTO|newspaper=Reuters|date=26 October 2021|last1=Brittain|first1=Blake}}</ref>

== Career == Vidal began her career as an engineer for General Electric and Lockheed Martin, working in the areas of artificial intelligence, software engineering, and circuitry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/trademark/1130614/kathi-vidal-nominated-for-uspto-director|title = Kathi Vidal Nominated for USPTO Director - Intellectual Property - United States}}</ref> From 1996 to 1997, she served as a law clerk for Judge Alvin Anthony Schall of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. From 1997 to 2017, she was a litigator at Fish & Richardson. From April 2017 to April 2022, she was the Silicon Valley managing partner and patent litigator at Winston & Strawn.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Winston's Kathi Vidal Is Biden's Pick to Lead Patent Office|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/winstons-kathi-vidal-is-bidens-pick-to-lead-patent-office|access-date=2021-10-26|website=news.bloomberglaw.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Kathi Vidal - Patent Litigator|url=https://www.winston.com/en/who-we-are/professionals/vidal-kathi.html|access-date=2021-10-26|website=Winston & Strawn|language=en}}</ref>

===USPTO=== On October 26, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Vidal to be the next Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).<ref>{{cite web |title=President Biden Announces Key Nominations |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/10/26/president-biden-announces-key-nominations-8/ |website=The White House |date=26 October 2021 |access-date=18 March 2022}}</ref> On December 1, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nominations|date=December 1, 2021|publisher=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|location=Washington, D.C.|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/11/24/2021/nominations}}</ref> On January 13, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 17–5 vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=Results of Executive Business Meeting – January 13, 2022|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Mark%20up%201.13.22%20Results.pdf|website=US Senate Committee on the Judiciary|access-date=10 June 2023}}</ref> On April 5, 2022, the United States Senate confirmed Vidal by voice vote.<ref>{{cite web|title=PN1326 — Katherine Vidal — Department of Commerce 117th Congress (2021-2022)|url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/117th-congress/1326|website=US Congress|access-date=18 March 2022}}</ref> She was sworn in as the director of the USPTO on April 13, 2022,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/uspto-welcomes-new-director-kathi-vidal|title=USPTO Welcomes New Director Kathi Vidal|date=2022-04-13|publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office|access-date=2022-04-13}}</ref> and was sworn in as under secretary on April 19, 2022.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=SecRaimondo|first=Gina|last=Raimondo|number=1516527235745951747 |title=Kathi Vidal's leadership & expertise will be instrumental in executing @USPTO's mission to protect & empower U.S. entrepreneurs|access-date=2022-04-25}}</ref>

On December 13, 2024, Vidal left the USPTO and rejoined the Winston & Strawn law firm.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kathi Vidal |url=https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/executive-biographies/kathi-vidal |website=U.S. Patent & Trademark Office |access-date=December 18, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kass |first1=Dani |title=Vidal Reflects On USPTO Achievements As She Leaves Office - Law360 |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/2272064/vidal-reflects-on-uspto-achievements-as-she-leaves-office |access-date=December 18, 2024 |work=Law 360 |date=December 12, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-gov}} {{succession box|title=Head of the United States Patent and Trademark Office|before=Andrei Iancu|after= John A. Squires |years=April 19, 2022 - December 16, 2024}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidal, Katherine Kelly}} Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century American lawyers Category:20th-century American women lawyers Category:21st-century American lawyers Category:21st-century American women lawyers Category:Biden administration personnel Category:Binghamton University alumni Category:California lawyers Category:Intellectual property lawyers Category:Syracuse University alumni Category:Under secretaries of commerce for intellectual property Category:University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni