“Speaking and meeting with someone that looks like you can help entrepreneurs and inventors feel more comfortable knowing that their ideas are safe.”

Adia Coleman
Head of the Business Library at Howard University
.…on how the USPTO’s Patent and Trademark Resource Centers at HBCUs empower innovation among Black inventors and entrepreneurs.

The downtown Dallas Public Library is the only public library in the state of Texas to offer a Patent and Trademark Resource Center from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. PTRCs are part of a national network of public, state, and academic libraries in partnership with the USPTO to offer trademark and patent assistance to the public.

The USPTO aims to empower innovation by expanding access—so it recently put out a call to 600 libraries and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) around the country, inviting each institution to consider becoming PTRCs to assist their local innovators.

Coleman believes the centers can make a big difference. “Having these resources at HBCUs helps to empower people,” she said in a statement. “There’s a fear that an idea can be stolen the moment that it’s shared. Speaking and meeting with someone that looks like you can help entrepreneurs and inventors feel more comfortable knowing that their ideas are safe.”

The local centers support the intellectual property needs of the public by providing a human touch, the USPTO says. PTRC library staff act as “local information experts” trained by the USPTO on how to use search tools to access info and help innovators navigate the patent and trademark landscape. Services offered include online resources, research consultations, and workshops about the value and importance of IP.

HBCUs have played a critical role in advancing intergenerational economic mobility for Black families and communities throughout generations, the USPTO says.

“Patents and trademarks are key to establishing ownership rights to inventions and brands that bring tangible economic benefits to their owners,” Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, said in a statement.

Vidal designated three HBCUs as PTRCs in 2023 alone, including Texas’ John B. Coleman Library at Prairie View A&M University northeast of Houston.

“We’re committed to increasing the number of PTRCs at HBCUs and educational programs across the country to ensure that Black creators, inventors, and entrepreneurs have access to these key resources,” Vidal added.

Derrick Brent, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the USPTO, calls intellectual property “a valuable asset.”

“Patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets make possible this system of new businesses, and successful entrepreneurs,” Brent said. “We’re grateful for these HBCU PTRCs which provide students and local communities with hands-on education in invention and entrepreneurship, helping to achieve a more inclusive and successful innovation ecosystem.”

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