We're on a mission to create a more inclusive ecosystem for inventors.Â
Only 8% of patents in the US name a female as the lead inventor and 85% of patents do not name a female at all. Gross.
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Why don't more of us invent? Because it's HARD! And one of the hardest parts is figuring out how to handle intellectual property. Do we file for a patent? Is it worth it? How the hell do I get started? We'll, we've gone right to the source for these answers and more:
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A Senior Advisor for the United States Patent Office and Patent Attorney will be offering FREE, candid advice about filing for IP and patents at our Patents & Pancakes event! Your RSVP will also subscribe you to our community where we'll share stories of diverse inventors enhancing our ecosystem, and access resources you can use to help you along your invention journey. Â
You may have attended our previous event called InventHer. We love that name, but turns out there is another amazing program for female inventors called Invent-Her already out there! So to avoid confusion, we'll be announcing our new initiative name at the Patents & Pancakes breakfast. In the meantime, check out the wonderful work our friends at Collab are doing with their program here.
Elizabeth Dougherty is the Director of Inventor Education, Outreach, and Recognition in the Office of Innovation Development at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). She develops, implements, and supervises programs that support the independent inventor community, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and the intellectual property interests of colleges and universities. Elizabeth has spearheaded special projects with federal, state and local governments, and private organizations to promote and support invention and innovation in the United States. She oversees a portfolio of ongoing and future initiatives designed to assist independent inventors, entrepreneurs, and underserved communities.
Formerly, as Acting Deputy Director in the Office of Patent Legal Administration, she was responsible for the oversight and direction of a team of senior legal advisors and staff assisting the Patent Examining Corps in matters of legal policy. Having begun her career at the USPTO as a patent examiner, Elizabeth examined patent applications filed in the area of Class 73, Electric Devices used for Measuring or Testing.
Elizabeth received a bachelor's degree in physics from the Catholic University of America in 1991 and a juris doctorate from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in 1996. She is a member of the Virginia Bar, the Giles S. Rich American Inn of Court, the Pauline Newman American Inn of Court, the American Bar Association, the Federal Circuit Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Patent and Trademark Office Society, the Supervisory Patent Examiners and Classifiers Organization, Women in Science and Engineering, Federally Employed Women, and the Network of Executive Women.
Kristin Grant is the Managing Attorney at Grant Attorneys at Law PLLC. Admitted to practice in New York and before the United States Patent and Trademark Office she represents individuals and companies in the areas of business and intellectual property law. With a client base spanning a broad range of industries, she provides counsel on the acquisition, protection, and enforcement of intellectual property rights as well as industry-specific business and compliance issues.
Kristin received her Bachelor of Science from Howard University, where she majored in Chemistry, and her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Wales. A graduate of New York Law School, she focused her law school education towards learning about issues in business and intellectual property law.
Prior to forming Grant Attorneys at Law PLLC Kristin worked as a patent consultant at AltSchool, Inc. – a community of micro-schools using various technologies to streamline the learning and administrative processes. At AltSchool Kristin worked with several software engineering teams through various stages of the patent process. She provided opinions on the patentability of inventions, conducted prior art searches and drafted search reports, drafted and filed patent applications, and responded to office actions.
Kristin gained valuable experience in intellectual property law and licensing while interning with Ladas & Parry LLP and working as an associate at The Law Firm of Spektor & Tsirkin P.C. Between these two intellectual property law firms, she was exposed to a wealth of legal issues in the areas of patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright law.
