IDEA Act advances from Senate Judiciary Committee

The Inventor Diversity for Economic Advancement, known as the IDEA Act, has advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee. The measure was introduced by US Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaiʻi and North Carolina Sen. Thorn Tillis, a Republican.

The bill moves on to the full Senate for consideration.

“The bicameral, bipartisan legislation will permit the collection of data that will provide a better understanding of the disparate rates at which women, veterans and other groups apply for patents in the United States,” according to an announcement from Hirono’s office.

“In order for America to remain innovative and competitive on a global scale, it is crucial that our country offers support to inventors from every background so that members of underrepresented groups are included in our patent system,” Hirono said. “I’m glad the IDEA Act is one step closer to becoming law. This legislation will help us to better understand who is applying for patents so that we can focus resources and education to help more people participate in this important part of our economy.”

“Inventors come from all backgrounds and walks of life,” Tillis said. “It’s crucial that we ensure they all have an equal opportunity to contribute and succeed. This bill provides the essential data we need to make that a reality.”

The legislation was cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).

Studies show that women and other underrepresented groups apply for and obtain patents at significantly lower rates than the population as a whole. There is a complete lack of data around the rate at servicemembers and veterans are using our patent system.

The IDEA Act works to provide more data about those gaps by directing the United States Patent and Trademark Office to collect demographic data — including gender, military or veteran status, and race — from patent applicants on a voluntary basis.

It further requires the office to both issue reports on the data collected and make the data available to the public, thereby allowing outside researchers to conduct their own analyses and offer insights into the various patent application gaps.

The full text of the bill is available here.