PHOTO BY JAY PREMACK/USPTO
MODRICKER TO LEAD NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND OFFICE: Daniel Modricker was appointed director of the USPTO’s Northern New England Community Outreach Office, which will serve Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
The office, temporarily located at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, will connect innovators with important government resources to assist them in their intellectual property (IP) journeys. The area has nearly 800-plus patent holders and 5,000-plus trademark registrants fueling local industries and economies.
PATENT, TRADEMARK FEE CHANGES: To ensure sufficient funding for its operations, enhance patent examination quality, and achieve patent pendency goals, USPTO patent fees will increase, effective January 19.
The undiscounted fee for filing, searching, and examining utility patent applications will rise from $1,820 to $2,000. The undiscounted fee for filing, searching, and examining design patent applications will increase from $1,120 to $1,300. The USPTO offers discounts for small and micro entities.
To provide the USPTO sufficient funding to effectively administer the U.S. trademark registration system and the ability to implement programs and initiatives driving its 2022-2006 Strategic Plan, trademark fee changes will take effect January 18. Many fees will increase by $50–$100 per class of goods and/or services.
For more information on the fee adjustments, visit www.uspto.gov/FeeSettingAndAdjusting.
10 TO BOOST INNOVATION MISSION: The USPTO announced the appointment of 10 new members to its Council for Inclusive Innovation (CI2) on December 10, part of its action plan to implement the agency’s National Strategy for Inclusive Innovation and develop additional ideas for driving more U.S. innovation.
The new appointments are Tony Allen, president of Delaware State University; Liren Chen, president and CEO of InterDigital, Inc.; Rory Cooper, National Medal of Technology and Innovation Laureate and assistant vice chancellor for research, University of Pittsburgh; Hervé Hoppenot, president and CEO, Incyte; Christopher James, president and CEO, The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development; Mae Jemison, founder of The Jemison Group, Inc.; Wendy Lea, cofounder and partner at TechHubNow!; Pamela Melroy, deputy administrator, NASA; Megan Smith, CEO and founder, shift7; and Grant Warner, executive director, Center for Black Entrepreneurship.
The national strategy aims to grow the economy, create quality jobs, and address global challenges by increasing participation in STEM, inventorship, and innovation among youth and those from historically underserved communities.
To learn more about CI2, visit https://bit.ly/3WttYyc.