Ten million patents at the National Museum of American History

 On June 19, the USPTO will issue U.S. patent no. 10,000,000. These 10 million utility patents represent two centuries of breakthroughs that transformed the United States into the world’s innovation leader even as inventors from around the world have sought U.S. patent protection.

Please join us for this special event at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Hear from inventors, gain insights on the patent system, see rare original materials from the national collections, and join us as we celebrate 10 million U.S. patents. This event will be livestreamed so everyone can join in the celebration. Captioning is provided on a separate page.

Panelists will discuss the importance of patents to the work of inventors and explore how, over the past 200 years, inventions have moved from basements, garages, and university, government, and industrial labs to everyday use. Yet, women and minorities have been dramatically underrepresented in the invention and innovation ecosystems. The panel will discuss what is changing about who invents and what is needed to unleash greater creativity across the United States and world.

 

Panelists
 

Susie Armstrong
Senior VP of Engineering, Qualcomm

James West
Inventor of the foil electret microphone 

Drew Hirshfeld
Commissioner for Patents, USPTO

Adam Mossoff
Professor, Antonin Scalia Law School
George Mason University

Arthur Daemmrich (moderator)
Director, Lemelson Center
for the Study of Invention and Innovation

 

Sponsors

Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property logo
   
Smithsonian Institution logo
     
USPTO logo
    

 

This free event is open to the public and accessible to individuals with disabilities. For more information or to inquire about accommodations, please contact Elizabeth.Dougherty@uspto.gov.