FOR INCLUSIVE INNOVATION: The USPTO announced a new National Strategy for Inclusive Innovation on May 1, in conjunction with the agency’s work with the Council for Inclusive Innovation (CI2).

The initiative, announced on Capitol Hill, aims to grow the economy, create quality jobs, and address global challenges by increasing participation in STEM, inventorship, and innovation among young people and those from historically underrepresented and underresourced communities.

The USPTO has outlined a comprehensive strategic approach for the federal government, academic institutions, and private industry to share and implement best practices that inspire and support a diverse population of problem-solvers.

For more information: https://bit.ly/4bjbZ3P

YOUR COMMENTS ON AI NEEDED: The USPTO published a Request for Comments (RFC) seeking public feedback on how artificial intelligence (AI) could affect evaluations the agency makes as it determines whether or not an invention is patentable under U.S. law.

In the RFC, the use of AI poses questions as to what qualifies as prior art and the assessment of the level of skill of a person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA). The USPTO’s AI and Emerging Technologies Partnership team has spent the past few years engaging with the innovation community and AI experts on issues at the intersection of AI and IP policy. Comments are due July 29.

To comment, see the Federal Register Notice link at the bottom of this page: https://bit.ly/44DjEbf

FIND FREE SERVICES: uspto.gov/freeservices has recently been updated to help you find specific information and resources, inclusive of all stages in the inventing journey. You can filter by a number of topics, including learning the essentials, preparing to file, applying for protection, and more.

Try it and let us know what you think. You can provide feedback at the bottom of the webpage to help us improve this resource.