McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP is set to be honored at the 2018 Chicago-Kent Patent Hub Awards Ceremony set for April 5 in Chicago. The event recognizes the attorneys and law firms that have contributed significant time to helping the organization’s inventors over the past year. The USPTO is giving certificates to attorneys and patent agents who have contributed 50 or more hours. A USPTO representative will be at the ceremony to present the certificates. In addition, the Patent Hub will present awards to law firms whose attorneys have given more than 100 hours, and we will present special awards to two others who have given us significant assistance this year.
MBHB is being recognized in the category of law firms contributing more than 100 hours total in 2017. At the individual level, MBHB partner Emily Miao is being recognized in the category of volunteer attorneys contributing more than 50 hours in 2017 while MBHB patent agent Joseph Adamczyk is receiving a special award for his high number of volunteer hours.
MBHB is proud to be an official sponsor of the Chicago-Kent College of Law Patent Hub. The Chicago-Kent Patent Hub is a program created to facilitate the placement of qualified, under-resourced inventors with the pro bono legal assistance of licensed patent attorneys. Pursuant to its sponsorship, MBHB patent attorneys will be providing pro bono legal assistance to qualified inventors.
Launched by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2011, the Patent Pro Bono Program is currently being offered in all 50 states. Regional program administrators match inventors who qualify based on income threshold, residency and other requirements with local patent agents or attorneys licensed to practice before the USPTO. Participating programs are individually run as regional programs available to assist inventors and small businesses in their state or region. The Chicago-Kent Patent Hub is coordinating services to inventors in Illinois.
Chicago-Kent’s Patent Pro Bono Program
As a responsible matchmaker of low-income inventors and volunteer patent attorneys, the regional program must make certain that minimal program requirements are met, ensuring that those requesting pro bono assistance qualify for assistance and for referral into the program. The Chicago-Kent Patent Hub is open to individual inventors and small businesses in Illinois meeting the program’s eligibility guidelines.