Coke Morgan Stewart Tells Her Story

When Coke Morgan Stewart became acting director of the USPTO, much of the patent world knew little about her. In this episode of Clause 8, Stewart, now President and CEO of the Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP), sits down with host Eli Mazour to tell her own story and explain the how and why behind her decisions.

Clause 8 is presented by:Junior AI - Your legal team’s documents, drafted in your team’s style.IP Copilot - Discover, manage, and protect your IP.

In this episode:

- Her path from English literature to the acting director’s chair, including the video call from a cruise ship where she learned she’d be deputy director

- Her father, Judge Henry Coke Morgan Jr., and the $2.75 billion Centripetal v. Cisco judgment the Federal Circuit later vacated

- Her first months at the USPTO: the backlog, the hiring freeze, the “fork in the road” offer, return to office and telework

- IPR institution, “settled expectations” and repeat challenges, and why she puts the odds of the proposed PTAB rules becoming final at 60/40

- The reported move by Director John Squires to return institution decisions to PTAB panels, and the pros and cons

- What she’d do differently, including a workforce council, plus AI and copyright

Chapters:00:00:00 Introduction: who is Coke Morgan Stewart?00:13:10 Her father’s patent cases and the Cisco stock controversy00:27:00 Becoming acting director: how she pursued the job00:37:30 The call from a cruise ship00:40:47 Day one: backlog, hiring freeze and DOGE-era turmoil00:51:35 Settled expectations and repeat challenges01:08:13 The proposed PTAB rules and the push for legislation01:17:28 Squires and institution decisions returning to PTAB panels01:33:32 What she’d do differently: a workforce council

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.voiceofip.com