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USPTO and Kauffman Foundation to Announce Patents for Humanity Winners

03-Apr-2013 | Source : | Visits : 6762
WASHINGTON - The US Department of Commerce’s US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will honor patent holders who have made use of patented technologies to address humanitarian challenges on April 11, 2013, at a Capitol Hill event supported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. According to the USPTO, Acting Under-Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting USPTO Director Teresa Stanek Rea will present the awards and US Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who last year introduced the Patents for Humanity Program Improvement Act, will speak at the event. The USPTO will issue the first-ever awards as part of its Patents for Humanity initiative, a program conducted with support from the Kauffman Foundation.

USPTO launched Patents for Humanity in February 2012 as part of US President Barack Obama’s administration initiative promoting game-changing innovations to solve long-standing development challenges. The program is an awards competition recognizing patent owners and licensees who address global challenges in health and standards of living. In January 2013, the non-profit Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) presented the 2012 National IP and Technology Transfer Policy Award to Patents for Humanity.

Entrants compete in four categories: medical technology, food and nutrition, clean technology, and information technology. Applications to the pilot were accepted through Oct. 31, 2012. Winners will receive recognition for their work and accelerated processing of select matters at the USPTO. For more information on Patents for Humanity, including the contestants and selection criteria, visit www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/patents_for_humanity.jsp.

What: Patents for Humanity Awards Ceremony

Who: Acting USPTO Director Teresa Stanek Rea

US Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)

When: April 11, 2013, at 4 p.m. ET

Where: Dirksen Senate Office Building,

Judiciary Committee Hearing Room SD-226

Constitution Ave NE and 1st Street NE

Washington, DC 20004
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