Smith, William F.

Bill Smith is a former administrative patent judge at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He focuses his practice on advising clients in complicated patent matters, including reexamination proceedings, appeals, interferences, post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and patent litigations.

Bill spent more than 30 years at the USPTO, with the last 19 years as an administrative patent judge (APJ). While serving as an APJ, Bill was responsible for reaching final agency decisions in interferences and on ex parte appeals involving original and reissue applications and reexamination proceedings. The cases assigned to Bill involved diverse technologies, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and medical devices. Bill has taught at the Patent Academy at the USPTO; has developed and presented seminars on appeal practice, appeal conferences and claim construction to patent managers and examiners; and frequently addresses bar and professional associations on intellectual property legal topics.