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IFIA Mag azine Se p t ember 2018 IFIA Mag azine Se p t ember 2018

examiner after graduating from Widener
University with a bachelor’s degree in elec-
trical engineering. Mr. Cabeca became a
Supervisory Patent Examiner in 1997 and
joined the Senior Executive Service in 2008
serving as a Patent Technology Center Di-
rector over the semiconductor and electri-
cal systems technologies.

Mr. Cabeca has dedicated much of his ca-
reer to the USPTO’s outreach and educa-
tion programs focusing on small business-
es, startups and entrepreneurs.

Stephen (Steve) Koziol
Assistant Regional Director of the Silicon
Valley regional office of the United States
Patent and Trademark Office

Mr. Koziol joined the USPTO in 2007 as a
SILICON VALLEY USPTO COLLABORATES • Understanding the risks of early disclosure patent examiner, and has managed teams
of examiners in the computer graphics and
• Resources and assistance available through
IN SVIIF 2018: the USPTO digital imaging fields. For the last two years,
Mr. Koziol has worked in the Rocky Moun-

IP WORKSHOP Speakers tain regional office of the USPTO in Denver,

CO, where he led the design and imple-
John Cabeca mentation of various intellectual property
Silicon Valley U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) collaborated and participated in the Director of the West Coast United States Patent outreach and education programs. He has
Silicon Valley International Invention Festival (SVIIF) which was held from July 2nd to 4th. and Trademark Office in Silicon Valley also focused on the development of pat-
ent-specific programs within the USPTO,
Mr. John Cabeca, Regional Director of Silicon Valley USPTO organized a workshop and led A veteran of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Of- including the Post-Grant Outcomes pro-
a discussion on intellectual property (IP) strategies and why entrepreneurs should consider fice for over 27 years, Mr. Cabeca previously gram, AIA First Inventor to File implemen-
them. served as the Senior Advisor to the Under Secre- tation, AIPLA Partnering in Patents, and
tary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and patent operations cost and fee modeling.
The following topics wete covered in this session: Director of the USPTO. In this role, he worked
closely across the Agency’s leadership to imple- Mr. Koziol received his Bachelor of Science
• Overview of intellectual property types: patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets ment the policies and priorities for the USPTO. degree in Electrical Engineering from Brad-
• Why should innovators and entrepreneurs consider protecting their IP? He began his career at the USPTO as a patent ley University in Peoria, Illinois.

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