USPTO

At a White House Summit on critical and emerging technology standards, Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property joined her colleagues from across government to celebrate the kick of the Implementation Roadmap for the U.S. Government National Standards Strategy. “Raising awareness and strengthening public-private coordination on standards for critical and emerging technologies ensure the U.S. remains a global innovation leader,” said Undersecretary Vidal. “USPTO is proud to play a role in the National Standards Strategy as we work with foreign partners on global alignment on standard essential patents (SEP) to advance a vibrant and competitive SEP market for innovators and licensees.” FACT SHEET: https://bit.ly/46Dl1rr

As the Olympics kick off, let's look at some technological advancements in Summer Olympic sports: 🏅 Patent No. 3,920,940: A switch used at the end of swimming lanes to detect when a swimmer has touched the wall, providing accurate timing and ensuring fair competition without being affected by water waves 🏅 Patent No. 6,002,336: A system that detects false starts and interfaces with recording equipment, crucial for maintaining fairness and accuracy in track and field competitions 🏅 Patent No 10,799,782: A device to display electronic images on sports nets in response to specific events, like indicating whether a tennis ball is in or out   

Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property recently chatted with PBS NewsHour Classroom during our National Summer Teacher Institute to highlight some of the great positions at the USPTO, why her background as a military child taught her a lot about resiliency, and why core tenets of entrepreneurship can be taught to kids through a classic summer activity: a lemonade stand. Watch: https://bit.ly/46pxRJK

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed on this day in 1990, a significant step in prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including state and local government. We’re proud to spotlight Chieko Asakawa, who overcame her disability to research and develop work on more than 20 patents. Blind since the age of 14, she was inspired to develop tools to benefit others with visual disabilities. Among her inventions, she developed a digital system in input and edit Braille, a disability simulator to enable sighted web developers to mimic the experience of blind users, and a Home Page Reader that enables users to access the internet and navigate the web through a computer’s numeric keypad instead of a mouse. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2019 for her incredible contributions. Her work exemplifies the spirit of the ADA – and enhances the world for people with visual disabilities. Read her story: http://bit.ly/3j02JZu

Combine your passion for intellectual property (IP) and outreach while leading the USPTO’s newest regional office in Atlanta, Ga. The Regional Office Director will facilitate, coordinate and lead high level engagements with stakeholders related to IP and innovation at the local, state, and federal level. You will represent the agency in the southeast region, playing a vital role in connecting innovators to USPTO resources and services. The vacancy closes soon; apply now: https://bit.ly/3VkfaCZ

If you want to federally register your logo trademark, does it have to be in color? Join our team of experts for our latest Trademark Basics Boot Camp as they break down requirements for your application. 🗓️ July 30 🕑 2 p.m. 💻 Register: https://bit.ly/4bKdyYw

 Interested in the latest information on trademark policies, goals, performance, budgets, and user fees from USPTO leadership? Join us virtually for the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC)’s quarterly meeting. 🗓️ Aug. 2 🕚 11 a.m. ET 💻 Register: https://bit.ly/4d0fI7l

Just announced: We are proposing to retain current response deadlines for Trademark post-registration office actions. Share your feedback by August 19. https://bit.ly/46eDI4u

On National Hire a Veteran Day, we want to highlight some of our 900+ team members who have served in the military. At the USPTO, veterans continue to serve by protecting American innovation in a variety of roles, from information technology and contracts to finance and engineering fields. Veterans interested in USPTO careers can email HireVets@uspto.gov or learn more about our veteran hiring program: https://lnkd.in/eQnSdpJs

We have been working since early Friday morning to restore workstation access for USPTO employees affected by the CrowdStrike IT outage. This event has significantly affected millions of users globally, and thousands within our USPTO workforce.     All of our external, stakeholder-facing systems were minimally impacted and were restored to full operation as of Friday afternoon. The majority of USPTO employees who lost computer access are now fully online and we project that most of our workforce will be back online before the end of the week.     We express our gratitude for your patience while we work to mitigate the effects of the CrowdStrike IT outage.     Read more in the Director's blog.