Barack Obama’s administration has nominated Morrison & Foerster partner Jim Pooley to be a deputy director-general at WIPO
His nomination will have to be approved by WIPO’s 184 member states at a meeting in September.
There are four deputy director-general positions at WIPO, one of which is vacant following Francis Gurry’s election as director-general last year. There are also three assistant director-general positions.
All of the positions are up for election this year. Appointments, which will take effect from the beginning of 2010, are normally for six-year terms.
By convention, a US representative fills one of the positios. Michael Keplinger of the US is the current deputy director-general with responsibility for copyright and enforcement.
Pooley was one of the main candidates to be USPTO director.
Pooley is a partner in the Palo Alto office of Morrison & Foerster in the firm’s litigation department and served as 2008 president of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA).
Source: www.managingip.com
