NIST Contributes to WIPO Report on IP Management by the U.S. Federal Government

When the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) was tasked by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to provide a comprehensive report on better understanding intellectual property (IP) management by governments of its member states, it asked NIST for help, given NIST’s central coordination role for federal technology transfer. The Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) at NIST collaborated with USPTO for an in-depth dive into the world of federal IP management.

The report includes the following topics:

• Structure and operations of Offices of Research and Technology Applications
• Securing patent rights for federally developed inventions
• Patent licensing
• Collaborative research capabilities
• Annual reporting requirements
• Education and outreach
• Trademarks and copyrights
• Current federal technology transfer projects

Publishing an official report on how the federal government conducts IP management is beneficial for a variety of reasons. First, it allows other WIPO member countries to learn more about how U.S. federal government agencies manage their IP. Second, it helps WIPO to create appropriate and relevant assistance programs. Finally, while broad practices are determined on a global scale, they are implemented at the individual scale through the professionals involved in technology transfer, from the novice to the expert. This report allows a technology transfer professional to glean a better understanding of federal IP management, and other tech transfer related topics, which could be of great benefit to progress within this career field.