USPTO

HBCUs have played a crucial role in advancing intergenerational economic mobility for Black families and communities throughout generations. Additionally, HBCUs have been instrumental in fostering innovation and intellectual property (IP) development. A late 2021 report by ThePlug said HBCUs accounted for almost 400 U.S. patents.

Three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were designated as Patent and Trademark Resource Centers (PTRCs) in 2023, and the USPTO plans to add more. The three are the John B. Cade Library at Southern University and A&M College, John B. Coleman Library at Prairie View A&M University, and Miller F. Whittaker Library at South Carolina State University. Howard University’s Founders Library was designated a PTRC in 1986.

We have done many things at the USPTO to push those doors of opportunity wide open, but I want to highlight a few in particular that I need your help in sharing with others. Collectively, they make access to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) easier and more transparent than ever, for both legal practitioners and the inventors they represent.

In 1979, Lisa Lindahl, Hinda Miller, and Polly Smith received U.S. Patent No. 4,174,717 for the athletic brassiere, or “Jogbra.” More than 40 years after their invention, they gathered in the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum in Alexandria, Virginia, to discuss their experiences as pioneers in the women’s fitness industry and to reminisce about their days as young friends and creators.

The Patent Pro Bono Program’s “Pathways to Inclusive Innovation” event, April 12 at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, has roots that extend 14 years and about 1,100 miles to the north. A 2010 lunch in Minneapolis between two renowned patent professionals sparked food for thought that eventually became an invaluable and historically significant resource for financially challenged inventors.

The 2024 class of the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) literally ranges from A to Z—with a similarly broad scope of inventors and their accomplishments. Signature accomplishments in the fields of cancer-fighting therapy, DNA sequencing, wireless networking, automotive safety, and even theatrical special effects are among those highlighted with this year’s inductees.

The NMTI medal is awarded to individuals, teams (up to four individuals), and companies or divisions of companies for their outstanding contributions to the nation. The medal recognizes American innovators whose vision, intellect, creativity, and determination have strengthened America’s economy and improved our quality of life.

U.S. businesses operating in China regularly cite insufficient protection and enforcement of IP as a top concern, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has placed China on its “priority watch” list for over a decade, detailing a long list of IP concerns reported by U.S. businesses operating in China.

The USPTO’s Eastern Regional Outreach Office is based in the Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters of the USPTO. It serves Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Pelham was born in Petersburg, Virginia in 1859, but his family moved to Detroit shortly after his birth. His parents sought more educational opportunities for their children than allowed by the strict literacy laws for African Americans in pre-Civil War Virginia.

The folklore wisdom of the owl and the hardy but elegantly designed cactus plant represent the tapestry of her life and career. They are also the embodiment of two fundamental forces that have guided her life and career: her mother, Acrelia Alcantar, and her grandmother, Balbina Zamora.