# Kathi Vidal

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{{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](/source/Under_Secretary_of_Commerce_for_Intellectual_Property)
| term_start       = April 19, 2022
| term_end         = December 16, 2024
| president        = [Joe Biden](/source/Joe_Biden)
| predecessor      = [Andrei Iancu](/source/Andrei_Iancu)
| successor        = [John A. Squires](/source/John_A._Squires)
| office1          = Director of the [United States Patent and Trademark Office](/source/United_States_Patent_and_Trademark_Office)
| term_start1      = April 13, 2022
| term_end1        = December 16, 2024
| president1       = [Joe Biden](/source/Joe_Biden)
| predecessor1     = [Andrei Iancu](/source/Andrei_Iancu)
| successor1       = John A. Squires
| birth_name       = Katherine Antoinette Kelly
| birth_date       = {{birth year and age|1968}}
| birth_place      = [Bethesda, Maryland](/source/Bethesda%2C_Maryland), U.S.
| death_date       = 
| death_place      = 
| death_cause      = 
| party            = 
| spouse           = 
| education        = [Binghamton University](/source/Binghamton_University) ([BS](/source/Bachelor_of_Science))<br />[Syracuse University](/source/Syracuse_University) ([MS](/source/Master_of_Science))<br />[University of Pennsylvania](/source/University_of_Pennsylvania) ([JD](/source/Juris_Doctor)) 
}}

'''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](/source/Under_Secretary_of_Commerce_for_Intellectual_Property) and Director of the [United States Patent and Trademark Office](/source/United_States_Patent_and_Trademark_Office) USPTO) from 2022 to 2024.

== Education ==
Vidal earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from [Binghamton University](/source/Binghamton_University), a Master of Science in electrical engineering from [Syracuse University](/source/Syracuse_University), and a [Juris Doctor](/source/Juris_Doctor) from the [University of Pennsylvania Law School](/source/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](/source/General_Electric) and [Lockheed Martin](/source/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](/source/Alvin_Anthony_Schall) of the [United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit](/source/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Federal_Circuit). From 1997 to 2017, she was a litigator at [Fish & Richardson](/source/Fish_%26_Richardson). From April 2017 to April 2022, she was the Silicon Valley managing partner and patent litigator at [Winston & Strawn](/source/Winston_%26_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](/source/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](/source/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](/source/United_States_Senate) confirmed Vidal by [voice vote](/source/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}}

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{{s-gov}}
{{succession box|title=Head of the [United States Patent and Trademark Office](/source/United_States_Patent_and_Trademark_Office)|before=[Andrei Iancu](/source/Andrei_Iancu)|after= [John A. Squires](/source/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

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kathi Vidal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathi_Vidal) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathi_Vidal?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.