U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Michelle Lee, the first woman to ever hold the position, resigned on Tuesday.
Lee was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2014, and after the 2016 presidential election, she announced she was "open" to staying on. It was unclear for several months if Lee, the former head of Google's patent practice, was still director; the Patent Office finally confirmed in March that Lee remained in the post. There was no reason given for Lee's resignation, nor an announcement on who might serve as acting director.
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