USPTO welcomes ‘promising’ women inventor numbers
A new report from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reveals that the participation of women in innovation is growing, earning the office praise from the legal industry.
According to the study, published yesterday, July 21, the number of patents which list at least one woman as an inventor grew to 21.9% in 2019, up from 20.7% three years previously.
The women inventor rate (WIR)—the share of inventors who are women—rose to 12.8%, compared to 12.1% in 2016. The share of women among new inventors rose from 16.6% to 17.3%.
The new figures come as an update to a related report published last year, “Progress and Potential: A profile of women inventors on US patents”.
In the latest update, the USPTO uses new data from January 2017 through December 2019, with last year’s report having analysed patents granted up to the end of 2016.
USPTO director Andrei Iancu last year acknowledged that the growth of women’s involvement in the patent system had been “ sluggish” over the past three decades.
This was particularly apparent in certain sectors, such as mechanical engineering, where only 7% of inventors were women.
This year’s report strikes a more optimistic tone, emphasising “continued improvement in the participation of women inventor-patentees”.
Speaking to WIPR, Finnegan attorney Erika Arner, said the data was encouraging: “In addition to highlighting promising trends in female inventorship and patenting, the USPTO’s report showcases companies that are leading the way in these important areas.”
According to the report, 3M showed the greatest improvement in the number of women listed as inventors on their patents, which grew from 15.2% to 16.6%.
“By shining a light on this issue and implementing a framework to measure progress, the USPTO has greatly improved the chances of lasting change for the better,” Arner added.
The USPTO has been trying to gather more data on the participation of minorities in the US patent system. Last November, it announced that it was seeking authority from Congress to conduct an inventor diversity survey, which would require a legislative update.
A bill to that effect has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) reported similar figures on women inventorship last year. According to the IPO, 12.7% of UK inventors were women in 2017.
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