USPTO Announces Patents for Humanity Winners

The U.S. ranks ninth in patents per capita around the world, and the U.S. Commerce Department’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced yesterday yet another reason the nation is so high on the list.

The USPTO announced this year’s Patents for Humanity winners on September 29.

The Patents for Humanity program was launched by the USPTO in February 2012 as part of an Obama administration initiative to promote innovative solutions to long-standing issues in America and around the world.

Patent and trademark laws must all be followed in the creation of eligible patents, in addition to their contributions to providing solutions to the aforementioned problems that needed solving.

“We’ve seen the profound impact that good ideas – patented and marketed – can have on human beings, transcending national borders and transforming lives around the world,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office Michelle K. Lee.

She also said that she hopes the program will continue to inspire companies around the world to make positive change and innovation.

The selection process for the winners of the Patents for Humanity program is quite lengthy and requires a good deal of requirements to be met.

Patent attorneys from around the world have worked on some of the patents selected to ensure their excellence.

The patents are judged on several sets of criteria, but perhaps the most important one is the set that focuses on demonstrable real-world improvements. The four categories in this set include subject matter, target population, contribution, and impact.

The patents submitted must suggest a solution for a humanitarian issue and target an impoverished population affected. Plus, the company must have taken meaningful action to make the technology more available. In addition, the company’s technology must have benefited the target population.

The final awards were given to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Case Western Reserve University, GestVision, and Global Good Fund at Intellectual Ventures for their work.

Honorable mentions were granted to Sanofi and Alere Inc.

Patent lawyers far and wide will be pleased to know the final results of this year’s project. All of the winners and honorable mentions will be given awards for their work with patent and trademark law at a ceremony being scheduled for this fall.

The dates to submit patents for next year’s competition have not yet been announced.