Update from the USPTO Patent Pro Bono Team

The USPTO recently released a report to Congress, as required by the Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022, assessing the health and functionality of the participating patent pro bono programs. Details regarding the study findings, as well as a copy of the full report, are available here.  The study found that the programs are successfully expanding access to the patent system to financially under-resourced independent inventors and small businesses.  This is thanks to the volunteer efforts of practitioners working on the USPTO Patent Pro Bono Program. Patent practitioners are uniquely positioned to help financially under-resourced inventors and small businesses file and prosecute patent applications. Please consider helping those who could not otherwise afford to do so engage in the innovation economy. Patent practitioners can volunteer through their local patent pro bono program. Please see http://artsandbusinesscouncil.org/patent-pro-bono-program/ or www.uspto.gov/probonopatents for more information on how to volunteer. The local program screens applicants using criteria that include: (1) household income; (2) knowledge of the patent system; and (3) possession of an actual invention (not merely an idea) to ensure that each inventor or small business is a good candidate for assistance. Thank you, The USPTO Patent Pro Bono Team Office of Enrollment and Discipline USPTO www.uspto.gov/probonopatents