By Jeremy Vickers, Director of Innovation
The United State Patent & Trademark Office recently selected the North Texas region to host one of its four satellite offices, with the other three going to Silicon Valley, Denver, and Detroit. What does this mean for North Texas?
This announcement comes at a time when our region is evaluating its future in technology, commercialization, research, and entrepreneurship. We ask ourselves ‘How do we become better?’ constantly and the answer lies in this new office. Being selected will put North Texas on the map for yet another great reason, and it will impact our strong economy significantly.
The first questions we fielded after the announcement: Why did DFW get this? Why not Austin? The answer is both simple and complex. It lies in the culture of DFW, the strength of our law firms and Bar Association, DFW Airport and our diverse technology base. The reason we won may very well be the same reason we get frustrated for not being known as a worldwide leader in one industry: our strong, broad economy and ecosystem.
We may not be the leader in one industry or market, but we are strong in corporate innovation. Look at the example of Alcatel-Lucent’s Gravity Center and AT&T’s Foundry. Look at our growing startup community that showcases high potential entrepreneurs from all industries including gaming, enterprise software, telecom, mobile apps, pharmaceutical drug therapies and medical devices. Look at our growing research universities that are expanding their capabilities, increasing collaboration, and commercializing ideas. Look at the quantity and quality of our law firms, specifically those that focus on intellectual property. These pieces showcase the breadth of capability our region possesses, and we are now being recognized because of these qualities.
It’s difficult to assess the value of having an office, but the real value lies in the strength and collaboration the office will encourage. DFW will be the place that innovators and inventors come to from Houston and Austin, Oklahoma City and New Orleans. We have the opportunity to sell our assets and show a competitive edge to our brother and sister cities in Texas while showing the world how we innovate. Ultimately, many jobs will be created, more innovation will come to markets and our universities will create better researchers & inventions.
It is our pleasure to invite you to learn more about what this region has to offer, engage with the IP law community and hear best practices from entrepreneurs on August 9th as we present the Patent Issue Forum with a keynote speech from Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office David Kappos. Want to learn more? Click here to see the event details or register for the event.
