Andrei Iancu


Andrei Iancu is an American-Romanian engineer and intellectual property attorney, currently serving as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He was nominated for both positions in 2017 by President Donald Trump.
Prior to taking the position with the USPTO, Iancu was the managing partner of Irell & Manella. His legal practice focused on intellectual property litigation. He has taught patent law at the University of California, Los Angeles, which is his alma mater. As an attorney, Iancu has appeared in front of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the United States International Trade Commission, U.S. district courts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He began his career as an engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company.
Ianco holds three degrees from UCLA; a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and a Juris Doctorate from the UCLA School of Law. While attending UCLA he was initiated into Sigma Pi fraternity.
Iancu was nominated by President Trump on August 26, 2017; approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 14, 2017; confirmed by the Senate 94–0 on February 5, 2018; and assumed the offices of Under Secretary and Director on February 8, 2018, when he was sworn in.