More women than ever are filing patents. A few notable statistics came out this week. First, the number of patents that name at least one woman inventor increased from 2016. In 2016, named women inventors accounted for 20.7% of all inventions. That number is up to 21.9% in the latest review.
The statistics also show that the gender gap of women inventors who remain active in the patent system—meaning they patent again within five years—is also promising. The active inventor gap for women increased to 46% compared to 52% of men.
“This report is a great achievement for the USPTO and an important steppingstone for women in America’s intellectual property systems,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “The USPTO has remained committed in their efforts to support women in innovation, and this positive momentum will continue to create a more inclusive intellectual property community.”
“Today’s report from the USPTO further highlights the important contributions of women to American innovation,” said Deputy Secretary of Commerce Karen Dunn Kelley. “I applaud the USPTO for their support of women inventors and their work to encourage women to take advantage of our nation’s intellectual property protections, the gold standard for the world. Everyone benefits when women fully participate in our innovation ecosystem.”
As seen in the full report, patent assignment to the 29 largest patent holders is increasing for all but two companies. Companies such as John Deere (Deere & Co.), Caterpillar, Ford, Boeing Co, and many others have an increase in women inventor rate.
The full report can be found online at https://www.uspto.gov/ip-policy/economic-research/publications/reports/progress-potential.
