On April 26th, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) celebrated World Intellectual Property (IP) day in Washington, D.C., as well as across the country in Houston, Chicago and Silicon Valley. The theme of this year’s World IP Day is “Innovation – Improving Lives.”

One program which is a prime example innovation improving lives is Patents for Humanity, the USPTO’s awards competition recognizing innovators who use game-changing technology to meet global humanitarian challenges. This year’s winners found new and innovative ways to administer and provide health care solutions in some of the most disadvantaged regions of the world. Watch the USPTO’s Patents for Humanity video to learn more about the program’s mission and impact.

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Michelle K. Lee gave remarks at a World IP Day event on Capitol Hill, stating:

“We have seen the profound impact that good ideas, protected through a world-class IP system, can have on humanity. From new and powerful technology that we can wear on our wrists and carry in our pockets, to new methods of diagnosing and treating disease, intellectual property can not only improve lives, it can save lives. It can also create new jobs and grow our economy, which is why we must always ensure that our IP system supports small businesses, startups, and individual inventors.”

Featured speakers for World IP Day also included Jeanine Hayes, Chief IP Officer of Nike, Inc., who discussed Nike’s FlyEase technology, a line of footwear built for athletes with disabilities, and Mario Bollini, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Global Research Innovation and Technology, Inc., who demonstrated the company’s all-terrain Freedom Chair for people with disabilities.

See images from World IP Day events