The U.S. Dept of Commerce has opened its first regional patent office in Detroit, a move that helps make the Motor City a leader in intellectual property and brings 120 new jobs to the city's riverfront area.
"It will enable our inventors to innovate faster, smarter and more effectively," David Kappos, director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Detroit, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony last week.
Detroit's
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, formally known as the Elijah J. McCoy Office, is the first of four satellite offices. These offices will function as hubs of innovation and creativity, helping protect and foster American innovation by helping businesses cut through red tape. The hope is that these new offices will enable the creation of hundreds of highly-skilled jobs in each of their local communities.
The Detroit U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will employ 120 people in its first year of operations. The intellectual property experts in the office will work closely with entrepreneurs and help further reduce the backlog of patent applications and appeals. Reducing the backlog of patents and simultaneously speeding up the process will allow businesses to move their innovation to market more quickly, saving critical time and resources.
"These new employees are excited about the job of helping these new innovators," says Rebecca Blank, acting secretary of the
U.S. Dept. Commerce.
Source: Rebecca Blank, acting secretary of the U.S. Dept. Commerce and David Kappos, director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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