The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will hold the 2026 National Patent Application Drafting Competition (NPADC) finals on Friday, April 17, from 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m. ET. To attend the event virtually, register today.
The USPTO started the competition in 2014 to introduce law students to issues arising in U.S. patent law. It has since evolved into a national law school competition where law students develop patent skills by applying legal principles to a hypothetical invention scenario.
You are invited to watch the 2026 NPADC finalists compete:
- Villanova University, Charles Widger School of Law (Team 1)
- Harvard Law School (Team 2)
- University of Wisconsin Law School (Team 3)
- Mitchell Hamline School of Law (Team 4)
- University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Team 5)
To learn more, visit USPTO's 2026 NPADC webpage or email NPADC@uspto.gov.
Agenda
(Subject to change. All times are Eastern Time)
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 9:00 a.m. | Opening Remarks Elizabeth Dougherty, Regional Director of the Southeast Regional Outreach Office, USPTO |
| 9:10 a.m. | Overview of NPADC Competition Rules Tomeka Oubichon, Regional Outreach Officer of the Southeast Regional Outreach Office, USPTO |
| 9:15 a.m. | Team 1 – Villanova University, Charles Widger School of Law |
| 10:00 a.m. | Team 2 – Harvard Law School |
| 10:45 a.m. | Team 3 – University of Wisconsin Law School |
| 11:30 a.m. | BREAK |
| 12:00 p.m. | Team 4 – Mitchell Hamline School of Law |
| 12:45 p.m. | Team 5 – University of California, Berkeley School of Law |
| 1:30 p.m. | Leadership Remarks |
| 1:50 p.m. | Introduction of Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce Coke Morgan Stewart Derris Banks, Chief Patent Classification Official, Office of International Patent Cooperation, USPTO |
| 1:55 p.m. | Announcement of National Winners and Closing Remarks Coke Morgan Stewart, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office |
Speaker Biographies
Coke Morgan Stewart, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Coke Morgan Stewart is the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Most recently, Ms. Stewart served as Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the USPTO, where she led one of the largest intellectual property (IP) offices in the world—almost a $5 billion operation with over 14,000 employees located across the 50 states and Puerto Rico.
Ms. Stewart worked at the USPTO for 10 years, from 2011 to 2021, and re-joined the agency on January 20, 2025. During her tenure at the USPTO, Coke served in many important roles, including as Acting Deputy Under Secretary and Acting Deputy Director, Acting Chief of Staff, Counsel to the Director, Senior Policy Advisor, Acting Deputy Solicitor, and Associate Solicitor. In these roles, she defended agency decisions in federal court and advised multiple administrations on a wide array of legal and policy matters, from patent eligibility to drug pricing to artificial intelligence. She was honored with numerous awards, including "Litigator of the Year" and Special Act Awards for her work supporting the agency during the pandemic and the 2020–2021 presidential transition.
Elizabeth Dougherty, Regional Director of the Southeast Regional Outreach Office, USPTO
As the Regional Director for the USPTO's Southeast Regional Outreach Office and Interim Director for the Midwest Regional Outreach Office, Elizabeth Dougherty carries out the strategic direction of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO and is responsible for leading the USPTO's Southeast and Midwest stakeholder engagement. Focusing on these regions and actively engaging with each community, Ms. Dougherty ensures the USPTO's initiatives and programs are tailored to each region's unique ecosystem of industries and stakeholders.
Ms. Dougherty has more than 25 years of experience working at the USPTO. She served as the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. In this role, she worked closely across the Agency's leadership to implement the policies and priorities for the USPTO. She began her career at the USPTO as a patent examiner after graduating from The Catholic University of America with a bachelor's degree in physics. While a patent examiner, Ms. Dougherty obtained her J.D. from The Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America and served as a Senior Legal Advisor in the Office of Patent Legal Administration for a significant part of her career. Over the years, she has also served in the USPTO's Office of Petitions, the Office of Innovation Development, and the Office of Government Affairs.
Derris Banks, Chief Patent Classification Official, Office of International Patent Cooperation, USPTO
Derris Banks is the Chief Patent Classification Official in the Office of International Patent Cooperation responsible for all domestic and international classification-related matters for the USPTO. Mr. Banks joined the USPTO in June 1994 as a patent examiner examining applications related to semiconductor fabrication and abrasive tool manufacturing.
He rose to become a Supervisory Patent Examiner a few years later, managing various teams dedicated to reviewing applications for inventions in the mechanical engineering fields. In 2012, he was elevated to the Director of the USPTO Technology Center, focused on electrical technology innovations.
Throughout his career, Mr. Banks has championed inclusion efforts, such as leading a World Intellectual Property Organization delegation effort to make language in the International Patent Classification system more accessible to everyone, as well as developing a common classification system for female-related technology. Banks is passionately involved in encouraging more students to pursue STEM careers through his work as an active member of the National Society of Black Engineers and University of Maryland College Park Alumni Association.
Tomeka Oubichon, Regional Outreach Officer of the Southeast Regional Outreach Office, USPTO
As Regional Outreach Officer for the Southeast Regional Outreach Office, Tomeka champions the agency's strategic priorities and goals with a focus on stakeholder awareness of intellectual property, resources, and protections within the innovation ecosystem.
Her position in the Office of Public Engagement provides her the opportunity to interact with and share the importance and impact of intellectual property with inventors, entrepreneurs, small businesses, students, universities, and organizations.
Since joining the USPTO in 2005, Tomeka has served in various roles from Patent Searcher to Training Specialist. Ms. Oubichon received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana and her Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from Louisiana State University. In addition, she is an alumni of the post-graduate Associate Fellowship Program at the National Library of Medicine.
Accessibility accommodation
If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please submit your request to the contact information listed above.