USPTO launches platform to drive patent filer diversity
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has launched a new platform aimed at encouraging greater participation in the patent system, as part of its effort to inspire a more diverse innovation economy.
As part of Women’s History Month, the USPTO officially launched its ‘expanding innovation hub’ yesterday, March 24.
The platform provides resources for inventors and practitioners to encourage greater participation in the patent system and includes a “demystifying the patent system toolkit”, designed to help innovators understand the process of obtaining a patent.
Additional resources include a mentoring toolkit and community group resources (which are designed to help organisations establish an infrastructure to connect groups of employees with shared characteristics, interests, and goals).
It’s another step in the office’s attempts to inspire more women, minorities, veterans, and geographically and socioeconomically diverse applicants to join the innovation economy.
In early 2019, the USPTO deemed the growth of women inventors to be “sluggish”, with at least one woman listed as an inventor increasing from 7% in the 1980s to 21% in 2016.
A report from the office noted that the rate of women inventors in patents remains below the share of women working in science and engineering industries. Women made up 28% of the workforce in these sectors in 2015.
The report also cited data from 2016 which indicated that African-Americans and Hispanics are “significantly underrepresented” in the patent system, with US-born black or African-American people constituting just 0.3% of inventors and Hispanic-Americans making up just 1.4% of inventors.
The innovation hub also builds on a 2019 Congress-mandated report, which the USPTO was required to produce under the Success Act 2018.
Within the report, the USPTO asked Congress for greater data-gathering powers in order to address a “dearth of information” on the participation of minorities in the patent system.
In order to increase the quantity of data on the issue, the USPTO recommended that Congress authorise a “streamlined mechanism” allowing the office to conduct a voluntary survey every two years of inventors named in US patent applications.
It also recommended that Congress allow greater levels of data sharing between federal agencies, to improve the level of information on minority inventors.
The USPTO added: “America’s economic prosperity and technological leadership depend on a strong and inclusive innovation ecosystem. That is why it is so important to make sure all Americans have the opportunity to develop and protect their inventions, build thriving businesses, and succeed.”
Earlier this year, WIPR interviewed Laura Peter, deputy director of the USPTO, on how the USPTO is undertaking several initiatives to support women throughout the management chain at the IP office. Click here to read more.
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