Response to the Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearings on the Report Required by the SUCCESS Act of 2018

13 Pages Posted: 4 Jul 2019

See all articles by Alexandra Fuchs

Alexandra Fuchs

Texas A&M University (TAMU), School of Law, Students

Lora Elkins-Naismith

Texas A&M University (TAMU), School of Law, Students

Saurabh Vishnubhakat

Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; Duke University School of Law

Date Written: June 28, 2019

Abstract

We the undersigned law students and law professor offer this response to the USPTO’s request for comments on studying and promoting the participation of underrepresented demographic groups in the U.S. patent system. We write based on personal and professional experiences in our own respective science and engineering fields and in the patent system, as well as based on our academic study of these issues. We appreciate the USPTO’s attention to the value of studying and promoting diversity in the patent system, especially through evidence-based policymaking.

For the reasons that follow, we believe the USPTO should, indeed, collect demographic information on patent inventors, do so at the time of application, and do so on a mandatory rather than voluntary basis in compliance with relevant laws and subject to proper safeguards. The USPTO should also play a central role among public and private institutions to promote the participation of women in patenting and entrepreneurial activities. We address questions 1–3, 5–8, and 10–11. Among the demographic groups of interest, we focus in particular on women.

Keywords: patent, innovation, intellectual property, diversity, women, STEM, pipeline

Suggested Citation

Fuchs, Alexandra and Elkins-Naismith, Lora and Vishnubhakat, Saurabh, Response to the Request for Comments and Notice of Public Hearings on the Report Required by the SUCCESS Act of 2018 (June 28, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3410193 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3410193

Alexandra Fuchs

Texas A&M University (TAMU), School of Law, Students ( email )

College Station, TX
United States

Lora Elkins-Naismith

Texas A&M University (TAMU), School of Law, Students ( email )

College Station, TX
United States

Saurabh Vishnubhakat (Contact Author)

Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law ( email )

55 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10003
United States

HOME PAGE: http://cardozo.yu.edu/directory/saurabh-vishnubhakat

Duke University School of Law

Durham, NC

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