Partner Susan Natland Appointed to USPTO’s Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC)

Knobbe Martens is pleased to announce that Susan Natland, a partner in the firm’s Orange County office, has been appointed by United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to the United States Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC). Susan will serve a three-year term as one of nine voting members of the committee, which meets quarterly in Washington, D.C. and monthly by phone.

“I am honored to have been appointed to serve on the TPAC and am looking forward to drawing upon my private sector experience and perspectives to evaluate issues and policy related to trademark law through a government lens,” said Susan, whose experience includes over 20 years at Knobbe Martens, teaching as an Adjunct Professor at UCLA Law School, working as virtual in-house counsel for a major Internet retailer, and extensive high-level leadership positions with the International Trademark Association. “We are fortunate that the USPTO had the foresight to create the TPAC to provide meaningful industry input and ideas. I will strive to improve, or adjust as necessary, existing rules and regulations to strengthen brand protection and combat infringement and counterfeiting.”

The TPAC was created under the American Inventors Act of 1999 to advise the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the USPTO on matters relating to trademark policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees. Committee members prepare an annual report that reviews the trademark operations of the USPTO.

Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the USPTO on matters relating to trademark policies, goals, performance, budget, and user fees. Committee members prepare an annual report that reviews the trademark operations of the USPTO.

Susan serves as Co-Chair of Knobbe Martens Trademark and Brand Protection Group, Chair of the firm’s Data Privacy and Security Group, and has served as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and Diversity Committee. She advises clients on all aspects of domestic and international brand protection, brand enforcement and litigation, advertising law, unfair competition, and copyright matters, as well as data privacy and data security compliance and procedure, data breach response, online privacy, mobile privacy, advertising and promotions, and social media. Her clients encompass emerging and established companies across a wide variety of industries, including Fox Media, Broadcom Corporation, Chico’s, White House Black Market, St. John Knits, Revolve, Arbonne, Public Storage, First American Financial, Illumina and TCL Communications.

Over the course of her career, Susan has received numerous accolades. She has been recognized as one of the 80 “Most Influential Women in IP” worldwide by World IP Review in 2019, named to Managing IP's "Top 250 Women in IP" international list in 2019, and has been the exclusive recipient of the International Law Office’s (ILO) “Client Choice Award” for California in 2014, 2017 and 2018.

Click here to read the USPTO press release.