One intellectual property expert whose name had been floated recently as a potential contender for Patent and Trademark Office director in the Obama administration says he is "delighted to be an observer" of the presidential transition process and "has not expressed an interest [in the PTO job] or taken any steps to advance that idea." In a Tuesday interview, Eli Lilly general counsel Robert Armitage said "it's always nice to be thought of, but… there are a number of people who have an interest and apparently are pursuing that interest."
CongressDaily recently reported that Armitage's name was being circulated among industry insiders as well as the names of Q. Todd Dickinson, who ran the PTO under former President Clinton; 3M IP counsel Gary Griswold; patent attorneys Ray Millien and James Pooley; and law professors Mark Lemley of Stanford and Arti Rai of Duke, a Harvard classmate of Obama's. "My hope is that the Obama administration will do what I've seen it do thus far -- get highly qualified, highly skilled people who can bring together diverse groups and get consensus," Armitage said.
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