The Online Inventors' Academy

Jane Lambert

Independent inventors (that is to say, inventors who are not employed in research and development in a company or university) have contributed much to the economies of many countries including our own. Unlike some other countries, we do not do much to encourage them.  The United States Patent and Trade Mark Office lauds American inventors in a National Inventors Hall of Fame. The Korea Invention Promotion Association has a slogan "One Person with One Invention." Our government did fund an Inventor Prize in August 2017 but terminated that initiative the following year.

British inventors might do better if they were better informed of the steps to be taken between having a bright idea and earning money from it.  Until the pandemic, some of that information was provided by inventors' clubs.  The Wessex Round Table of Inventors has maintained a page of links with inventors' clubs for many years.  I tried all those links yesterday and found many of them were broken.  There may well have been some new clubs.   I recently wrote about the launch of an inventors club at the British Library but I have not heard of any more.  

I have long campaigned for an inventors' academy along the lines of the USPTO's Annual Independent Inventors' Conference at its head office in Alexandria.  Many have agreed that such a conference would be a good idea and nobody has rubbished it but everyone has always had more immediate priorities.  It seems to me that nothing will happen unless I make a start.  To that end, I am offering a course of online lectures between 18:00 and 19:00 on the third Thursday of every month between  19 Sept 2024 and 17 July 2025.  As I chaired the Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield Inventors Clubs for many years I think I have a pretty good idea of what independent inventors need to know and just as valuable what they don't need.

The first talk on 19 Sept will be on the legal protection of new technology,   I will, of course, discuss patents and how to apply for them and how to apply for them but I will also discuss alternatives.  Prosecution and enforcement costs, renewal fees and other expenses will be mentioned as well as the risks of revocation.  Steps to mitigate the risks and expenses such as before-the-event insurance will be addressed.  I shall also deal with inventions that cannot be protected by patents.  Finally, I will talk about patent attorneys, where to find them and how to select and instruct them.

The next talk will be on the services that are available to inventors.  I will start with the British Library and its national network of Business and IP Centres.  I will mention patent clinics and search services at the Centres and other PatLib libraries.   I will talk about the help that is available from local authorities in England, Business Wales in Wales and its counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland.  Lastly, I will consider the online resources that are available for inventors from the IPO, EPO, WIPO, British Library, UKRI and other agencies.

Other talks will focus on manufacturing, outsourcing manufacturing and licensing.  I will also discuss enforcement in this country and overseas.   Anybody who attends the full programme will receive a transcript which may assist them in fundraising or employment,

The Online Academy will be just one of many benefits of the NIPC Inventors Club;  Others will be the Initial Advice and Signposting service that can be offered online or in Yorkshire, North Wales or London. There will also be a vast library of articles and precedents (template forms) which can be accessed through this publication.

Anyone wishing to discuss this article may call me on 020 7404 5252 or send me a message through my contact form.   Anyone wishing to register for the first talk on 19 Sept 2024 should click here.

Invention Con 2023 - Practical Advice for Inventors, Makers and Entrepreneurs from across the Pond

Author US Patent and Trademark Office Licence Standard YouTube Licence Source USPTP

Jane Lambert

An important difference between the United Kingdom and the United States lies in the public's appreciation of independent inventors. The life of an American inventor is not exactly a bed of roses as the story of the film Joy shows, but it is fair to say that independent inventors in the USA are encouraged in a way that British independent inventors are not.  One of the ways in which they are encouraged is an annual online conference called Invention-Con which I discussed in Invention-Con 2022: The US Patent and Trademark Office's Online Conference for Inventors, Makers and Entrepreneurs on 22 July 2022.

It will be obvious from the video clip above that another Invention Con has taken place since I wrote that article.   This time some of the proceedings have been recorded on YouTube.   They include:

• A welcome from Derrick Brent, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office; 
• A welcome from Vaishali Udupa Commissioner for Patents, 
• Licensing your intellectual property;
• Branding and trademark protection;
• Sean Wilkerson, Robyn James and Eric Peterson: Turning passion to profits; and 
• Understanding Manufacturing.

All those clips are well worth watching.  Much of the information and advice would apply here though it has to be remembered that the USA is a different country with different laws, different institutions and a very different business culture.

In my article, I wrote:

"There is no reason why other countries (including ours) should not stage similar conferences. We do stage events like the British Invention Show but there is nothing like Invention-Con. There is a great need for practical advice on patent, design and trade mark prosecution, grant, equity and loan funding, setting up businesses and scaling up which Invention-Con appears to deliver."

For the last 20 years, I have founded and chaired inventors' clubs, given talks, run IP clinics and given practical advice to independent inventors in this and my other publications.  I think the time has come to consolidate these activities in one place.  I am assembling my articles and case notes into a single pdf manual which will be free to download.   I shall continue to canvass support for a British equivalent to Invention-Con.

Anyone wishing to discuss this article may call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form,

Invention-Con 2022: The US Patent and Trademark Office's Online Conference for Inventors, Makers and Entrepreneurs

Interior of the US Patent and Trademark Office

Author Hanaxides Licence CC BY-SA 4.0  Source Wikimedia Commons

 

Jane Lambert

Every August, the US Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") holds a conference for independent inventors, entrepreneurs, and small business owners known as Invention-Con. I mentioned it for the first time in USPTO Annual Inventors' Conference - something we should do here on 2 Aug 2014. Until 2019 the conference was held at the USPTO's head offices in Alexandria, Virginia just outside Washington DC. No doubt because of the pandemic Invention-Con was held online in 2020 and 2021.  So, too, will the next one which will take place between 10 and 12 Aug 2022.

The importance of the conference is attested by the welcome from Kathi Vidal, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO on 10 Aug 2022.  Her entry on the Invention-Con website describes her as follows:

"As the chief executive of the USPTO, she leads one of the largest intellectual property (IP) offices in the world, with more than 13,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $4 billion. She is the principal IP advisor to the President and the Administration, through the Secretary of Commerce, and is focused on incentivizing and protecting U.S. innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity. She leads an agency whose mission is to help American workers and businesses compete and collaborate, especially in ground-breaking technologies and across all demographics."

Immediately after the Director's welcome, there will be a 5-hour session entitled "Introduction to Intellectual Property" which will cover such topics as "Your IP, a potential gold mine", "IP journeys – Go from eureka to enterprise" and "IPitching: Innovation and investment". There will be another 5 hours the next day on the theme "Now what? How to put in motion a plan to protect your idea/business."  That will include talks on "Funds to fuel your future", "Grants and growth", "Succeed with government funding and resources" and "Inspiration to impact".  The final day will be 5 hours of talks on "IP in Everyday life" covering "IP in the fitness industry", "Tech in arts", "Small Business Success Stories" and "Meet the new trailblazers: Innovation to impact."

The speakers include inventors, angel and private equity investors, US government officials, entrepreneurs and professional advisors.  One of the most interesting is Arul Mathur who intends to read computer science and engineering at my alma mater, UCLA,  Arul, who is aged 18, has invented an automated, self-contained fire suppression system called Fire Activated Canister Extinguisher ("FACE") to protect properties against fires without the need for manual intervention.  He was inspired to invent FACE after a wildfire threatened his home.   After the record temperatures and the fires in London earlier this week, he will find a market for his invention here. 

The talks take place between 12:00 and 17:00 eastern time which would be between 17:00 and 22:00 our time.   Registration is by Eventbrite.  It does not appear to be possible for those who live outside the USA to register through Eventbrite because registrants have to pick a state or territory.   However, special enquiries could be made to inventioncon@uspto.gov.

There is no reason why other countries (including ours) should not stage similar conferences.  We do stage events like the British Invention Show but there is nothing like Invention-Con.  There is a great need for practical advice on patent, design and trade mark prosecution, grant, equity and loan funding, setting up businesses and scaling up which Invention-Con appears to deliver.   

Anyone wishing to discuss this article may call me on +44 (0) 20 7404 5353 during normal business hours or send me a message through my contact form.

US Patent and Trademark Office Webinar - Invention-Con 2021: Capitalizing on your intellectual property

Author ReubenGBrewer Licence CC BY-SA 4.0 Source Wikimedia Commons

 

Jane Lambert

One of the few good things to have resulted from this pandemic is the live streaming of events that would previously have been limited to the venue where they took place. One of those events is the United States Patent and Trademark Office's webinar Invention-Con 2021: Capitalizing on your intellectual property which will take place between 18-20 Aug 2021.  It is billed as an event for inventors, makers and entrepreneurs. There is nothing quite like it in this country or as far as I can see anywhere else in the world.

According to the event web page presentations and workshops will cover:

• "Putting your creativity to work
• How IP applies in various fields, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, fashion, music, and literature
• Types of IP protection: patents, trademarks, and copyrights
• Marketing, manufacturing, and building a competitive advantage around your ideas
• Fun, free educational resources for kids and teens
• Innovation and the fight against COVID-19
• And much more"

There are also special events for children and young people, They will include a session with Gitanjali Rao who was named "Kid of the Year" by Time Magazine and several other promising young inventors. Registration Is through Eventbrite. There does not appear to be a charge and it seems to be open to everyone everywhere in the world.

Although American intellectual property law does differ from our own in a number of important respects the basic principles are the same. The USA is this country's biggest trading partner and its importance is likely to increase if HM Government ever concludes a bilateral trade treaty with it. Businesses that wish to trade or invest in the USA will need to be aware of US intellectual property law and should protect their own intellectual assets by taking out utility, design and plant patents (equivalent to patents, registered designs and plant breeders; rights in the UK) and trade marks in the USA,   

Businesses wishing to apply for patents and trade marks in the USA can ask their British patent or trade mark attorneys to appoint an American agent or they can approach an American one directly.   For those wishing to instruct an American attorney, I can recommend Antoinette M Tease who runs a specialist IP practice in Montana.   I have worked with her on a number of occasions over many years and I have received only good reports of her from my clients.

The USPTO offers a large number of other events some of which would be useful to UK businesses.  Restaurateurs might be interested in Don’t burn your brand: intellectual property for restaurants which takes place this Monday 19 July, Trademark Basics Boot Camp, Module 7: Keeping your registration alive on the following Tuesday, and so on. The USPTO's events page is here.

Anyone wishing to discuss this topic can call me on +44 (0)20 7404 5252 during UK office hours or send me a message through my contact page.

Intellectual Property Resources for Inventors and Small Businesses in the USA

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Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 unported
Source Wikipedia

Jane Lambert

In a post to the US Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") blog entitled Intellectual property resources in your area, which was published on 24 June 2019, Mr Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO wrote:

"Providing entrepreneurs, small businesses, and independent inventors with access to intellectual property (IP) resources is one of the major priorities for the USPTO. These entities are vital to our country’s economy, but they often don’t have the same resources that larger entities can leverage to protect their innovations. Because of that, the USPTO oversees several programs to assist with free or reduced-cost help in applying for patents, including the Patent Pro Bono Program, the Pro Se Assistance Program, the Certified Law School Clinic Program, and Patent and Trademark Resource Centers. That’s all in addition to the reduced filing fees we charge to small and micro entities."

Entrepreneurs, small businesses and independent inventors are as important to the British (and probably every other advanced country's) economy as they are to the American economy.  At the very least, we can learn from Mr Iancu's blog post.  British inventors and entrepreneurs seeking US patents and trade marks may even be able to take advantage of some of the facilities and resources that Mr Iancu mentions.

USPTO
The USPTO is the intellectual property office for the USA.  Because patents can be granted for new plant varieties under 35 USC § 161 and new, original, and ornamental designs for articles of manufacture under 35 USC § 171 which are equivalent to plant breeders; rights and registered designs in the UK as well as for inventions it performs functions that are carried out by the Plant Varieties Rights Office as well as the Intellectual Property Office in this country. Unlike the IPO, the USPTO has no responsibility for copyright.  There is a separate Copyright Office within the Library of Congress for copyright and related rights in the USA.

Patent Pro Bono Program
Inventors and small businesses that meet certain financial thresholds and other criteria may be eligible for free legal assistance in preparing and filing patent applications under the Patent Pro Bono Program.   This is a nationwide network of independently operated regional programmes that match financially under-resourced inventors and small businesses with volunteer patent attorneys and patent agents.

Pro Se Assistance Programme
"Pro se" is Latin for "on his (or her) own behalf" and refers to what we would call "unrepresented parties", that is to say, inventors or other applicants who file patent applications without the assistance of a US qualified patent attorney or patent agent.   The Pro Se Assistance Program offers a number of services to the public prior to filing, including:

• Dedicated personnel to assist with pre-filing questions including:
• An explanation of different types of application filings
• Assistance with forms completions and filings
• Reviewing application (e.g. Specification, Drawings, and Claims) for compliance with current regulations
• In-person assistance for the general public at USPTO Headquarters at Alexandria in Virginia regarding pre-filing
• Targeted support to connect applicants with relevant resources and information
• Online resources found on pro se assistance programme page. 

The page also contains some very useful videos. It is the resource that inventors and advisors outside the USA are likely to find most useful.

Law School Clinic Certification Program

Participating universities in this programme offer advice and assistance on US patent and trade mark law from selected law students under the supervision of their teachers or other IP professionals. I am delighted to see that the University of California at Los Angeles (which is my alma mater and also that of Mr Iancu) participates in the programme.  A table of universities indicating the services they offer, the geographical area that they cover and the contact details of the organizer appears on the programme page.

Patent and Trademark Resource Centers

These seem to be like our Business and IP Centres. Many are located in public libraries and provide classes and workshops as well as patent specifications, law reports, textbooks and other specialist publications to subscribers.  Some run or host inventors' clubs.  Los Angeles Public Library, for instance, offers:

"computerized searching of patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Library users perform their own searches. Computers are available on a first-come, first served basis. Ask library staff for instructions on use. Use of intellectual property databases is free, but printing is $.25 per page. We also have collections in print and microfilm. During regular library hours, we provide some assistance by telephone at 213-228-7220."

There is a lot of general information on patents, trade secrets, trade marks and other IP rights on the library's web page.  The USPTO lists patent and trade mark resource centres on its PTRC locations by state web page.

Anybody wishing to discuss this article or the resources available to inventors and SME in this or any other country should call me during office hours on +44 (0)20 7404 5252 or send me a message through my contact form.  

No Invention should be left behind here - the Case for Inventor Academies

Jane Lambert

Last week I featured a scheme by the World Economic Forum and the World Intellectual Property Organization to assist inventors in less developed countries to launch their inventions known as the Inventor Assistance Programme (see Jane Lambert "No Invention left behind" - WIPO's Inventor Assistance Programme gathers Pace 21 Jan 2018).  David Kappos, a former head of the US Patent and Trademark Office, coined the phrase "No invention left  behind" as the watchword for the scheme.

The slogan "no invention left behind" should not be limited to inventions in developing countries. Bringing an invention to market is difficult and risky for an individual or small business even in Mr Kappos's country as 20th Century Fox's film Joy showed a couple of years ago (see Jane Lambert Joy 3 Jan 2016). That is in spite of the resources for inventors and entrepreneurs offered by the USPTO which includes a 2-day annual conference every August at the USPTO's head office in Alexandria and the Inventors' Eye newsletter for individual inventors.  Over the last few years the British Library's Business and IP Centre and its partner libraries outside London have begun to offer similar help in this country but it is still not as extensive as the resources that are offered in the USA,

I have met a lot of individual inventors over the years through my practice at the patent bar, my inventors' clinics in London and the North, the Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield inventors clubs and running this blog and only a few have ever made any money from their inventions.  Far more lose money than earn it and some lose more than just money.  The reason why so few of those inventors make money from their inventions and so many more lose from them is that they spend money on things they do not need and fail to invest in things that they do. 

Inventions, like brands, designs and works of art or literature, are business assets which earn money only if they are used in business.  Individual investors are representative of the general public and most members of the public go through life without acquiring the skills, knowledge and experience needed to run a business.  It should therefore surprise no one that when a member of the public creates an intellectual asset he or she may have no idea what to do with it  That is why money is wasted not just on invention promotion services but also on legal protection where there will never be sales while services that could be useful, such as IP indemnity insurance, are overlooked.

So how do we equip private inventors with the necessary skills?   Five years ago I thought that inventors clubs were the answer.  That is why I wrote about inventors clubs, why they are useful, where they are and how to establish one if there is none in a particular area (see Inventors' Clubs 25 May 2013). I am not so sure now.  The inventors clubs that I helped to found and chaired for many years disbanded when the Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield Central Libraries became Business and IP Centres. They provide many of the skills through short courses on such topics as patent searching and business planning but not on a comprehensive basis.

I think something can be learned from business accelerators where fledgling businesses are offered office or lab space, mentored by experts, helped to refine their products or services and eventually introduced to investors.  Accelerator programmes tend to last between 3 and 6 months which is longer than is necessary to decide whether an invention has legs.   Week long or perhaps even weekend academies may be enough.

Anyone wishing to discuss the idea of inventor academies or inventor support generally should call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form.

Animated Advice from across the Pond

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Jane Lambert

In Animated Advice 18 March 2016 NIPC News I introduced readers to some animations published by the Intellectual Property Office, the World Intellectual Property Organization and others. One of the films I mentioned was the IPO's IP BASICS: Should I get a patent?

Today I want to share with you an even more helpful animation published by the US Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") so long as you bear in mind that the USA is a different country, with different institutions and different laws. However, the United States like the United Kingdom is party to a number of international agreements such as the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights ("TRIPS") which requires each country's intellectual property laws to be broadly similar.

Here are also some points to bear in mind for British readers:

• The USPTO is the place to start for inventors in the USA because it is the intellectual property office for that country but inventors in this country can start either at the Intellectual Property Office in Newport (look you) or the European Patent Office in Munich ("there's lovely for you!" as they say in Wales).
• Our law does not expressly define an invention though it does list a number of things that can't be patented as such like computer programs or methods of doing business which are not specifically excluded in US law. Also, we cut out some of the verbiage like "machine" or "composition of matter." Basically, an invention can be patented on this side of the Atlantic if it is a product or process.
• One reason why I really like this animation is that it advises inventors to consider writing a business plan and carry out some market research. I've been ramming that message home in my IP clinics, talks to inventors' clubs and blogs for years. Here is just one of my articles: "Why every business plan should take account of intellectual property" 3 Apr 2016 NIPC News.
• The places where you can get help with your invention in this country would be the Business and IP Centres at the British Library next to St Pancras Station in London and the central libraries of Birmingham, Exeter, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Manchester, Newcastle, Northampton, Norwich and Sheffield. Those libraries are also part of a wider network of public libraries that are associated with the EPO called PatLib. If you study the list you will find help available in Aberdeen. Belfast, Glasgow, Plymouth and Portsmouth.  We no longer have anything quite as good as Business USA.gov in this country but we do have the Business and Self-Employed pages of the gov.uk website. Also, you can call me on 020 7404 5252 any time during business hours and I can point you in the right direction.
• As in the USA, you can apply to the IPO or EPO for a patent without instructing a patent attorney but I would strongly advise you against it.  I know patent attorneys don't come cheap but there are funding schemes here to help you (see How Small Businesses can fund IP Advice and Representation 3 Sept 2016 NIPC News). By the way, the terms "patent agent" and "patent attorney" mean different things in the USA. There, a patent attorney means a lawyer specializing in IP but a patent agent is a non-legally qualified professional who prosecutes patent applications. Here, the terms patent attorneys and patent agents are used interchangeably. Patent attorneys in the UK are members of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys which used to be called the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents until a few years ago. Finally, the expression "pro se" is not used in this country. Those who apply for patents without the help of patent attorneys are usually referred to as "unrepresented applicants". 
• In this country, we don't have "utility", "design" or "plant patents" as such but we do have registered and registered Community designs (for the time being) and EU and national plant breeders' rights  (see Jane Lambert Protecting Investment in New Plant Varieties 4 May 2016 LinkedIn). What Americans call "utility patents" are simply "patents" here.
• There is no call centre in Newport or Munich like the Inventors Assistance Center but both the IPO and EPO publish guidance for unrepresented applicants on their websites and the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, Ideas 21 and I hold free consultations with an IP professional at towns and cities around the UK. Check out CIPA's IP Clinics page and Ideas 21's regular advice sessions in London. Mine are held in Barnsley on the second Tuesday of every month and you can book your appointment through the BarnsleyBiz Surgeries page.

Wherever you are in the country, you can call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours or send me a message through my contact form.

Alternatives to Invention Promotion Companies

The other day I was asked for my opinion on an invention promotion company. It was not one that I had ever dealt with so I could not answer the enquiry directly but I referred the inventor to the advice that the US Patent and Trademark Office and our own Intellectual Property Office had given on invention promotion companies generally. 

The inventor thanked me for my reply and added:

"My family and friends have given me very positive feedback on my invention but how else do I check if my invention is good ?
What should I do next ?
Where can I find trustworthy contacts ?"

I replied:

"First do some market research. You can get some help with that at the Business and IP Centre of the British Library.
Next you should decide whether to exploit your invention directly by setting up in business to produce and sell it or licensing it out to someone else.
If you decide to license it out you will need to show your licensee how it will make money from the invention which means that you have to do much the same work as you would if you were making and selling it yourself. If you do get it out you will get a licence fee which will typically be a small percentage of the sale price.
I can advise you on the legal issues but not on the financial ones.
I wish you all the best with your invention."

The British Library and its associated libraries in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield have massive resources on market research, business planning and everything else an inventor would need to know to set up in business. If he or she is not clear how to use those resources there are courses from the library staff and its partners.

I also advise the inventor to join an inventors' club if one is nearby. There he or she will meet product development consultants, patent attorneys, business advisers and other professionals who assist individual inventors and, most importantly, other inventors who can share their experience with him or her. I have listed some of the inventors clubs that I know about in the side panel to this blog. The Wessex Round Table of Inventors has a much longer list. I am sure that there will be lots of trustworthy and knowledgeable contacts at any of those associations.

In my email I made clear that I am a lawyer and not a business adviser. Here are some of the things I can do for inventors.

1. Tailoring a non-disclosure agreement to the inventor's needs or reviewing or advising the inventor on somebody else's.
2. Advising the inventor on the optimum intellectual property protection for his or her invention and if that includes patents helping him or her find and instruct patent attorneys in this country and abroad who can apply for them.  As I do not prosecute patent, design or trade mark applications I have no interest in selling the inventor a service though I must stress that every patent attorney I know would try to advise objectively too.
3. Representing the inventor at a hearing in the Intellectual Property Office if the examiner challenges his or her application.
4, Helping the inventor negotiate and draft agreements with collaborators, investors and consultants.
5. Drawing up terms and conditions, manufacturing and distribution agreements if the inventor wishes to make and sell the invention him or herself or licences if he or she doesn't and just about any other agreement the inventor may need.
6. Helping to keep the inventor out of trouble with third parties and resolving difficulties if any arise.

There was a time when barristers could be approached only through solicitors or patent or trade mark attorneys but that rule changed over 10 years ago, Now we can do more or less anything that a solicitor can do and as we don't have offices to maintain our services are often cheaper. You can find out more about instructing us in IP Services from Barristers 6 Apr 2013.

Should anyone wish to discuss this article, invention promotion companies or help to inventors in general they should contact me through my message form or call me on 020 7404 5252 during office hours.

USPTO Annual Inventors' Conference - something we should do here

Every year at this time of the year the US Patent and Trademark Office opens its doors to private inventors and puts on a conference for them. I have mentioned this several times before (see "US Patent and Trade Mark Office helps Independent Inventors"  11 Sept 2005). Last year it was cancelled owing to wrangling between the President and Congress over the budget (see "Politicians wrangle at Inventors' Expense" 12 Oct 2013). Happily a conference is taking place this year between the 15 and 16 Aug.

There is an impressive agenda with star speakers one of whom is the serial inventor Woody Norris. Here is a link to talk he gave about two of his inventions.  The attendance fee is US$90 which is just £53.50 at the current rate of exchange.  Independent inventors are taken seriously in America - not mocked or patronized as they are so often elsewhere. We really should do something like this here.

The USPTO also provides a comprehensive portal for inventors resources which include information on patents and trade marks, inventors' assistance, pro bono services and an excellent newsletter.

Politicians wrangle at Inventors' Expense

The 18th Annual Independent Inventors Conference should have taken place this weekend at the US Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO"). Sadly, it won't because it has been cancelled. It is a victim of the wrangling between US politicians over the implementation of  Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

It would have been a very interesting conference.  Highlights would have included talks by:

• Teresa Stanek Rea, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the USPTO;
• Peggy Focarino, Commissioner for Patents, USPTO;
• Lori Greiner, inventor, entrepreneur and TV personality on the US equivalent of "Dragons' Den"; and
• Woody Norris, another well known popular inventor.

There would also have been presentations, workshops, and one to one advisory sessions with senior USPTO officials and others who would have provided information and answered questions about patents and trade marks. The USPTO intends to reschedule this conference as and when circumstances allow I sincerely hope that it can.

As I noted in "US Patent and Trade Mark Office helps Independent Inventors" 11 Sept 2005 which was one of my first posts to this blog the USPTO does a lot for independent inventors and small and medium enterprises in the USA. Its website has a whole section devoted to inventors with useful information on patenting, trade mark registration and local information services.  The IPO could certainly learn a lot from the USPTO.

The conference is, of course, the flagship event and it would be good to hold a similar event here. Such a conference need not be run by the IPO. It could be organized by universities, law firms, patent agencies, the PatLib libraries pr even by inventors.  If anyone here would like to be involved in such a conference please get in touch. You can send me a message through my contact form or call me on 020 7404 5252 during normal office hours. Also you can also tweet, write on my wall or send me a message through G+, Linkedin or Xing.