David "Dave" James Kappos (born March 3, 1961) is an attorney and former government official who served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) from 2009 to 2013.

Prior to being confirmed to the post by the U.S. Senate on August 7, 2009,[2] Kappos was the vice president and assistant general counsel, intellectual property law, for IBM Corporation.

[11] In this capacity, he was a chief negotiator in the passage and implementation of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act;[12] signed into law by President Barack Obama in September 2011.

[15] After leaving the USPTO, Kappos joined the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where he advises clients on intellectual property matters relating to corporate mergers and acquisitions, litigation and fintech.

[19] He serves on the boards of directors of the Partnership for Public Service, the Center for Global Enterprise and the Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation.