Barry Schindler

Presently serves as Acting Commissioner for Patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), where he provides executive leadership for the Patents organization in his capacity as chief operating officer. He oversees a workforce of over 14,000 Patents employees, including more than 9,000 patent examiners whose work helps drive American innovation by delivering patent protection to inventors, consistent with Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.Previously served as a Deputy Commissioner for Patents at the USPTO, where he provides executive leadership and strategic direction for the Office of Information Technology for Patents, the Office of Application Processing for Patents, and Technology Center 2400. In this role, he helps guide the USPTO’s patent operations through a period of rapid technological change, with a particular focus on information technology, generative AI, and process innovation. Prior to the USPTO, Barry J. Schindler was the Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig's Global Patent and Innovation Strategy Group — a group of over 150 attorneys and agents, who are registered with the USPTO, and handling over 10,000 domestic and foreign applications (filing over 3,000 patent applications/year). Barry has over 30 years of legal experience in all aspects patent prosecution and IP protection — representing numerous major companies and start-ups regarding patents and trade secrets and managing their worldwide patent portfolio in such relevant technical areas of AgriTech, FoodTech, Fintech, chemical, pharmaceutical, material science and medical devices. Barry has obtained hundreds of U.S. patents for his clients, and has worked with foreign counsel in China, France, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Russia, and the United Kingdom, among others.Barry has been listed as an IP Star by Managing IP Magazine’s World IP Handbook and Survey, listed in IAM Global Leaders Guide, listed in Chambers USA Guide, and listed in IAM magazine’s IAM Patent 1000 for Patent Prosecution. Barry received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering (Process Control) from Cornell University. Prior to law school, Barry practiced for over eight years for major Fortune 100 companies. He received his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Barry regularly teaches patent strategy at Universities, the USPTO and incubators. Barry regularly writes on key patent topics and is frequently quoted.