Intellectual Property

The Rocky Mountain Office serves Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Inventors in this region have received more than 126,000 patents in the past ten years. Women inventors were named on 21 percent of the total patents, compared to about 13 percent for the United States as a whole.

Ma’s honor recognizes his leadership and dedication in advancing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the patent examination process. He and his team have also helped shape USPTO policies to address AI’s evolving role in intellectual property and innovation. 

New TTAB functionality: As part of the USPTO’s efforts to modernize its systems and improve customer experience, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) Center open beta has been launched for filing notices of opposition. An opposition is a TTAB proceeding in which a party may challenge the registration of a trademark. 

Every October, the USPTO dives into the patent and trademark archives to find some eerie, spooky, and haunting examples of creepy IP, or intellectual property. This monthlong campaign–known as #CreepyIP–began in 2011 as a fun way to educate the public about the importance of intellectual property by embracing the Halloween spirit.

She was speaking at the National Summer Teacher Institute, an educational program run by the USPTO. The annual program offers teachers the opportunity to learn more about invention and intellectual property, knowledge they can bring back to the classroom.

Audrey Sherman recently became a division scientist in medical disciplines at Solventum, where she creates new technology for cutting-edge health care products. Before that, she held a similar position at 3M until 2016, a history-making 38 year span at the American multinational conglomerate.

Regarding trademarks, during the pandemic more people started their own companies, launched new products, increased cross-border e-commerce, and filed trademark applications to improve their brand protection. That led to unprecedented application levels in fiscal years 2020 and 2021.

USPTO’s signature event inspires with personal, practical advice for improving inventors’ intellectual property potential. While some of America’s most successful inventors and intellectual property (IP) experts gathered to share their experiences and expertise at the USPTO’s annual showcase event, Christie Thoene talked about a hunger intended to whet our appetites.