Dear colleagues,
Today marks a monumental milestone in the journey toward equal rights for women in the United States. One hundred years ago, on August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to our Constitution, which granted women the right to vote. With the required approval of three-fourths of the states secured, the Amendment went into effect on August 26 of that year.
This victory would not have been possible without the efforts of suffragists from diverse communities across the nation. For example, Lyda Newman organized an African American branch of the New York Woman Suffrage Party, actively canvassed neighborhoods, and led suffrage meetings in her voting district.
Newman was also an inventor. In 1898, she received U.S. Patent No. 614,335 for a hairbrush that was more efficient and hygienic than existing designs. It was comprised of evenly spaced rows of bristles, with open slots to guide loose hair or impurities into a recessed compartment that users could easily remove and clean out.
In the century since, our nation has made great strides in guaranteeing equal opportunities for women. As we found in our recent report, “Progress and Potential: 2020 update on U.S. women inventor-patentees,” more women are now entering and staying engaged in the patent system, and the gender gap is closing. But there is much more work to be done.
When it comes to expanding the innovation ecosystem, the USPTO is leading the way. Among other efforts, we are partnering with colleagues in other government agencies, as well as industry and academia, to find ways to increase the number of female inventors. We are also highlighting the accomplishments of past and present female inventors, like those featured in our Journeys of Innovation series, to inspire future generations of women to innovate.
As we celebrate the centennial of the 19th Amendment’s ratification, I want to thank you for supporting diversity of innovation and diversity among our own ranks here at the USPTO. Your efforts are making the process of invention more accessible and ensuring our nation’s position as a leader in the global innovation community.
Andrei Iancu
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property
and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office