Posts in Holiday Posts
‘Moving Beyond Words’ to Action: Women in IP Share Real-World Tips to Close the Gender Gap
Gloria Steinem wrote Moving Beyond Words: Age, Rage, Sex, Power, Money, Muscles: Breaking Boundaries of Gender in 1994. Steinem was an iconic figure in a movement that began …
Celebrating Women’s History Month: USPTO Events Highlight Women in STEM and Business
Last week the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) held the first of five discussions that will take place every Wednesday in March during its Women’…
From Home Security to VoIP: Honoring Black Women Inventors of the Last Half-Century
Throughout February, we have recognized some of the earliest Black women inventors, beginning with Martha Jones in 1868 and her patent directed to a corn husker, ending with …
Sarah Boone: the ‘Ironing Table’, Perfected
Sarah Boone is believed to be the fifth African-American woman to be awarded a U.S. patent Her invention, U.S. Patent No. 473,653, issued in 1892 and was …
Eighteen Dollars for Her Patent: Ellen Elgin and the Story of the Clothes-Wringer
In August 1888, Ellen Elgin, a black woman housekeeper, invented a clothes wringer which allowed clothing to be washed and dried faster by feeding clothes through two rollers …
Signed with an ‘X’: Judy Reed, Improved Dough Kneader and Roller
Judy W. Reed, one of the first recorded African American women to receive a U.S. patent (No. 305,474), is known for her invention titled “Dough Kneader and …
A Cooking Revolution: Mary Jones De Leon
In 1873, Mary Jones De Leon was granted U.S. patent No. 140,253 for her invention titled ”Cooking Apparatus.” De Leon, who resided in Baltimore, Maryland, is believed to …
A Better Way to Husk: Martha Jones, First Black Woman to Receive a U.S. Patent
Martha Jones of Amelia County, Virginia, is believed by many to be the first black woman to receive a United States patent. Her application for an “Improvement …
Washington Insiders Say Farewell to 2020 and Look Ahead to 2021
As we thankfully see 2020 fading into the rear-view mirror and all look forward to a hopefully much better 2021, we want to take a moment to reflect on …
Wish Upon a Star: Experts Share Their Wildest IP Dreams for 2021
We have already published industry roundups on the biggest moments in IP for 2020 and predictions and thoughts for 2021. But the longest running industry insider feature on IPWatchdog …
What to Watch in 2021: IP Stakeholders Offer Predictions and Thoughts for the New Year
Each December, we ask industry experts to identify what mattered in IP for the previous year, as well as their wildest IP dreams for the new year. …
The Year in Patents: Ten Developments We’ll Remember From 2020
As we end 2020— a year most of us probably wish to forget— it appears that after much litigation it is finally safe to call Joe Biden the …
The Top 10 Patents of 2020: From Social Distancing Tech to Facilitating Driverless Vehicles in 5G Networks
As the world bids good riddance to 2020, cursed as it has been by the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant shutdown of major swathes of the globe’s …
The Copyright Top Five of 2020
From the Google v. Oracle arguments to Congress’ year-long discussion around reform of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 2020 was a big one for copyright law. A …
Top USPTO Developments of 2020—and What to Expect in 2021
Novel and non-obvious can be easily used to describe the events of 2020, both here in the United States and around the world. Despite all the challenges, there …
