Stefanos Karmis is currently acting as a Deputy Commissioner for Patents. In this role, Mr. Karmis provides executive oversight for the divisions in the Office of International Patent Cooperation, which lead Patents’ efforts related to international IP cooperation, harmonization, and outreach, and TCs 2600 and 3700, which respectively handle the examination of patent applications related to the technologies of communication and the technologies of mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and medical devices and processes.
Prior to this acting role, Mr. Karmis served as the Director of the Office of International Patent Legal Administration, where he provided executive leadership over legal and technical matters arising out of the Office’s administration of the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs.
Throughout his career, Mr. Karmis has served in multiple other roles, including as the Director of the Office of Patent Quality Assurance, as a Senior Advisor to the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Quality, and as a Senior Advisor to the Deputy Commissioner for Patent Examination Policy. He has also served on career development details with the Office of Patent Training as well as the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Mr. Karmis started his career in the USPTO in July of 2002 as a patent examiner in TC 3600 examining applications in the business methods area and later became a Supervisory Patent Examiner in a related area.