David Kappos

Early life and education Kappos was born March 3, 1961, in Palos Verdes, California. He is the grandson of immigrants from Greece. Kappos received his Bachelor of Science in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California, Davis In this capacity, he was a chief negotiator in the passage and implementation of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act; signed into law by President Barack Obama in September 2011. The legislation represents the most significant legislative change to the U.S. patent system since the Patent Act of 1952.

During his tenure, the USPTO's backlog dropped from over 770,000 to under 668,500 between 2009 and 2012. In November 2012, it was reported that Kappos intended to retire from the role in 2013, and he left office on February 1, 2013.

Post-USPTO career After leaving the USPTO, Kappos joined the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where he advises clients on intellectual property matters relating to corporate mergers and acquisitions, litigation and fintech. He is also an adjunct professor of copyright litigation at Columbia Law School, and of legal advising for start up general counsel at Cornell Law School.

Recognition In 2016, he was named one of the “Top 25 Icons of IP” by Law360. In 2014, he was listed as one of The National Law Journal'''s inaugural “Top 50 Intellectual Property Trailblazers & Pioneers”. Kappos was inducted into the Intellectual Property Hall of Fame by Intellectual Asset Management magazine in 2012. He serves on the boards of directors of the Partnership for Public Service, the Center for Global Enterprise and the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation. Kappos is also the chair of the Advisory Council of the Naples Roundtable and the chair of the U.S.-China IP Cooperation Dialogue.