I recently had the honor of being the Startup and Small Business representative for a panel on intellectual property and patents hosted by Joe Matal the Interim Director of The United States Patent and Trademark office and hosted and presented by the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce.

It was amazing to share my perspective with such a great group of business leaders, politicians, and attorneys. I was also interested to hear how the USPTO is planning on expanding access to small businesses and individual inventors, to reduce the cost and increase the available help and resources for small businesses and inventors.

For that reason, Matal said the USPTO is expanding its staff to allow individual and smaller inventors to submit patent claims.

“We found out they have a really high abandonment rate,” he said. “Twenty-five percent of all small, pro se inventors ended up getting a patent.”

That led the USPTO to expand its pro se office to 30 examiners, which help inventors with less money and know-how to navigate and meet the requirements established for securing patents.

“We’ve found again and again, dealing with different industries, that so many of the most innovative ideas come out of these little startups,” Matal said. “There’s just something about the culture of a small entity or even an independent inventor that allows people to pursue what might turn out to be the most revolutionary and path-breaking ideas. There’s just something to be outside of the corporate culture … where someone can pursue a hunch.”

Excepts from articles covering this event: Interim USPTO Director Sees DFW's Innovation Side, The Trajectory of Innovation: How USPTO Regional Offices Have Impacted the Patent Process | USPTO, Dallas' U.S. Patent And Trademark Office Has Become A Hub For North Texas Startups | KERA News, Dallas’ U.S. Patent And Trademark Office Has Become A Hub For North Texas Startups | Texas Standard,