U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

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.

The USPTO issued a guidance update on patent subject matter eligibility to address innovation in key emerging technologies, including in artificial intelligence (AI). This will assist USPTO personnel and stakeholders in determining subject matter eligibility under patent law of AI inventions. The update builds on previous guidance.

The clip-clop of horseshoes and the slow creaking of carriage wheels on the tarmacadam streets of London welcomed two weary American travelers after more than one month at sea on New Year’s Day, 1882. Accompanied by his wife, 33-year-old Lewis Latimer arrived with a daunting task before him: the electrified illumination of a city famous for its fog.

The Office of the Solicitor serves as legal counsel to the USPTO on intellectual property law and works in collaboration with the Department of Commerce on interagency intellectual property law matters, as well as with the Department of Justice in advocacy before all U.S. courts.

Since I began my tenure over two years ago, the USPTO has worked feverishly to increase American innovation and entrepreneurship. As part of our efforts, we have expanded our footprint so we can better serve every community across the nation.

Inclusive innovation is a force that is crucial for building a better world. The NAI event, held June 16-18 in Raleigh, North Carolina, showcased a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide.

For 10 years, former and current staff from the USPTO’s Intellectual Property (IP) Attaché offices have visited businesses, inventor support organizations, and legal representatives to hear the concerns of stakeholders and educate them about IP. During recent visits to Orlando and Atlanta, the attachés continued the tradition, presenting a world of possibilities and information to local innovators exploring international IP protection.

Dr. Charles Drew pioneered blood preservation and storage while advocating for more opportunities for Black physicians. Carrying a tray of bright red geraniums, Dr. Charles Richard Drew led his daughter to the backyard of their three-story house on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where a circular arrangement of colorful blooms awaited them.

The USPTO granted its 12 millionth utility patent on June 4. “Labeled Nucleotide Analogs, Reaction Mixtures, and Methods and Systems for Sequencing,” awarded to Pacific Bioscience in Menlo Park, California, involves a chemical reagent for use in DNA sequencing that produces faster and more accurate results.

In her National Inventors Hall of Fame® acceptance speech, Andrea Goldsmith honored the legacy of past inductees. Shankar Balasubramanian lauded the USPTO and its current, ongoing mission to encourage and enable intellectual property protection, particularly patents. And Asad Madni thanked future generations for inventions and innovation that will further transform the world.