Charles Kim serves as the Deputy Commissioner for Patents of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). As Deputy Commissioner for Patents, Mr. Kim is an authority on patent laws, rules, and examining practice and procedure, and provides executive leadership to the Office of Petitions, the Office of Patent Legal Administration, the Office of Patent Quality Assurance, the Central Reexamination Unit, and the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure staff.
Prior to becoming Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Kim served as Acting Assistant Commissioner for Patents, and prior held the position of Director of the Office of Petitions. He has also served as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy, and as a Supervisory Patent Examiner in Technology Center 2100.
In addition, Mr. Kim currently leads the USPTO’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emerging Technologies Working Group. In this capacity, Mr. Kim provides executive leadership to a cross-cutting team of AI specialists from across the agency that develops and implements various AI and intellectual property (IP) policy initiatives at the USPTO, including the AI and Emerging Technologies Partnership, which was launched under the leadership of Director Vidal in June 2022.
Mr. Kim earned his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with High Honors from Rutgers University and his Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School. Mr. Kim also holds an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.