United States Patent and Trademark Office

Patents for Humanity with an irrigation system watering crops.

Patents for Humanity: Global Challenges Demand Global Solutions

Patents for Humanity is an awards competition for patent owners and licensees. It is the USPTO's voluntary pilot program to recognize patent owners who apply their patented technology to address humanitarian needs.

Commerce Secretary John Bryson greets an employee of the USPTO in her office.

Commerce Secretary John Bryson greets an employee during his Feb. 3 tour of the USPTO. | Photo by Cheron Green / USPTO

Secretary of Commerce Visits USPTO

United States Secretary of Commerce John Bryson paid his first visit to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since he became Secretary last October. Bryson toured the facility and greeted USPTO employees.

People attending a meeting around a horseshoe shaped table with a small audience in the background

Last April's Patent Public Advisory Committee Meeting. | USPTO photo by David Snider

Patent Public Advisory Committee to Meet Feb. 14

The Patent Public Advisory Committee's Quarterly Meeting will be held Feb. 14 at the USPTO's Global Intellectual Property Academy in Alexandria, Va. The USPTO's advisory committees consist of citizens of the United States chosen to represent the interests of the diverse users of the USPTO.

Map of US showing roadshow and hearing dates and locations

USPTO to Host Educational Public "Roadshow" Series on America Invents Act

The USPTO has planned a series of cross-country roadshows to discuss our proposed rules implementing various provisions of the America Invents Act. In addition to the AIA roadshows, there will be several hearings to discuss issues related to genetic testing and fee setting. The programs begin this week at USPTO headquarters.

Women Entrepreneurs: Celebrating the Past, Inventing the Future. A Women's History Month Event, March 1, 2012.

USPTO and National Women's Business Council to Pay Tribute to Women's Innovation and Entrepreneurship

To celebrate Women’s History Month in March, the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the National Women’s Business Council will pay tribute to women whose ingenuity and inventions have improved our lives.

President Obama smiles standing next to Yvonne Brill after presenting her with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation

President Obama smiles after presenting Yvonne Brill with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, Oct. 21, 2011. | USPTO photo by Arva Adams

Who Should Receive a National Medal of Technology and Innovation?

The USPTO is accepting nominations for the 2012 National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Awarded each year by the President of the United States, the medal is the nation's highest honor granted to groundbreaking inventors and innovators. The deadline for nominations is March 31, 2012.