Posts Tagged: "Day One Project"

Rethinking USPTO Applicant Diversity

The Day One Project recently released over 100 proposals for the Biden-Harris administration  to use as roadmaps in crafting science and technology policy. One of those proposals, a Transition Document for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), recommends an important and specific step forward for the growing policy agenda on diversity in U.S. innovation. The USPTO should undertake a pilot program for mandatory collection of demographic data from patent and trademark applicants. This recommendation is a conscious break from past public commentary, which has often urged data collection on a purely voluntary basis.

The Day One Project Examined: USPTO Transition Proposals Advocate Questionable PTAB, Section 101 Policies

Recently, the Day One Project, an initiative of the Federation of American Scientists, released a transition document drafted by a collection of veteran policymakers discussing a range of policy ideas to be implemented at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) starting from the earliest days of the Biden Administration. The ideas advocated by the Day One Project focus on a mix of policies related to diversity, international IP systems, patent quality, agency budgeting and governance and ways that the USPTO can contribute to broader administrative policy initiatives. While there are many sound policy positions advocated by the Day One Project, patent owners may want to be aware of the document’s stance on the “public benefit of PTAB review of a patent” as well as the agency’s role in developing policy on patentable subject matter reform. Interestingly, the policy document indicates that there is broad consensus for continuing policies from the Trump Administration relating to China’s influence on the world of intellectual property.