Patents play an at times all too instrumental role in technology, so it's a potentially momentous event whenever there's a change in the gatekeepers at the patent office. Brace yourself for a possible sea change, then, as USPTO director David Kappos says he's bowing out in January. While we're still waiting on the reasons and a confirmed replacement, the exit will likely be a disappointment for those who like Kappos' patent reform efforts: the former IBM executive has taken steps du
