Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Karen Bass takes her first actions as Los Angeles mayor, women express concern over trendy A.I. portraits, and we could add $1 trillion to the U.S. economy if more women secured patents. Have a lovely Tuesday.
– Innovation nation. Startup founders and small business owners looking for government support often turn to agencies like the Small Business Administration or the Minority Business Development Agency. If Kathi Vidal has her way, soon those entrepreneurs will think of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Vidal, a longtime intellectual property lawyer (and a Fortune Most Powerful Women community member), was nominated for the role of USPTO director by President Joe Biden and confirmed in April. Since then, she’s been working to help the USPTO reach more people to spur innovation nationwide.
A critical part of that mission is diversifying who applies for and receives patents. Women are listed on about 13% of U.S. patents. Providing pro-bono legal services increases women’s patent applications to 41%, a recent study found. Overall, Vidal says bringing women into the patenting system at the same rate as men could add $1 trillion to the U.S. economy.
 U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director Kathi Vidal. Courtesy of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office The issue isn’t just access to legal services. Some of the basics of how the patenting system operates have excluded people. If a person applies for a patent that’s not approved, they automatically receive a form letter rejection. To the government, a rejection is an opportunity to apply again—but applicants often don’t realize that. Vidal plans to add cover letters to patent decisions that explain, in more accessible language, what a rejection means. “Now you’re collaborating with the examiner and working with the examiner to find something to patent as opposed to feeling like you’re in this adversarial process,” she says.
Encouraging more people to patent their work supports the U.S. economy and overall national competitiveness, especially in fields like A.I. and emerging technologies, Vidal says. “We were able to come up with a COVID vaccine because there were patents that preceded the actual events,” she says. “Companies can collaborate—because when you don’t have patents, companies don’t want to share their ideas.”
To achieve those goals, Vidal is directing the USPTO to meet inventors where they are, whether that’s at the Small Business Administration or the local library. “Would it be great if everybody knew the word USPTO like they know NASA? I would love that,” she says. “But we don’t want to depend on that. We want to get out there.”
One way the USPTO gains more recognition with the public is through news-making patents and trademarks—including rejections. Last month, the office’s Trial Trademark and Appeal Board rejected an application by Mariah Carey to trademark the term “Queen of Christmas.” Vidal says she keeps an eye on the news, even if such decisions aren’t her top priority. “It may be that it’s a term that other people should be able to use,” Vidal says of decisions like that one.
Whether it’s a Christmas trademark or a scientific breakthrough, Vidal’s goal still stands. “I want to incentivize more innovation in the U.S.,” she says.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
@_emmahinchliffe
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- First steps. Karen Bass was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris as the first female mayor of Los Angeles on Sunday. Bass issued a state of emergency declaration on the city’s homelessness crisis on Monday, her first move as mayor. CNN
- On the court. Brittney Griner picked up a basketball for the first time in 10 months on Sunday. Despite the brief return to the court, Griner’s agent said the WNBA star isn’t ready to say if or when she plans to return to the Phoenix Mercury. ESPN
- A.I.'s ugly side. Photo editing app Lensa’s new A.I. portrait generator allows users to create hundreds of imaginative portraits based on a small number of photos from the user. But users, particularly women, have raised concerns over the exaggerated or over-sexualized features that appear in their generated portraits. Wall Street Journal
- Nomination shortfalls. The Golden Globes announced nominations for its first televised ceremony after an exposé found there were no Black members among the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s votership, leading NBC to drop the 2022 telecast. While Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary led in television nominations, female directors are notably absent from the best director category. Variety
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Sunday Times editor Emma Tucker will replace Matt Murray as the Wall Street Journal's top editor, becoming the first female editor of the newspaper. Bath & Body Works appointed former Unilever and Alberto Culver executive Gina Boswell as CEO and board member.
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- Unhappy customers. Bored Ape enthusiasts are turning against the A-listers who rode the NFT wave with them. A class action lawsuit filed Thursday alleges celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, and Serena Williams promoted Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs without disclosing their investments in Yuga Labs, the company behind the tokens. Fortune
- Board busting. Large private companies in Norway may soon have boards comprising at least 40% women or risk being shut down, according to a new bill proposed by the Norwegian government. Norway implemented a 40% gender quota for the boards of listed companies in 2005, but reports that gender board diversity at private companies only increased to 20% in the last 20 years. Reuters
- Jan. 6 comments. The White House and Democratic leaders have condemned comments made by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at a dinner hosted by the New York Young Republican Club on Saturday, suggesting the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters would have “won” if she and Trump advisor Steve Bannon organized and armed the insurrection. Greene has since dismissed her remarks as sarcasm. NBC News
- The accused sues. Former New York City comptroller Scott Stringer is suing a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2001, claiming her accusations are false and caused “irreparable harm” to his political career and campaign for mayor. The woman named in the lawsuit, Jean Kim, first came forward with the allegations in April 2021. New York Times
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Maybe we’re too hard on momfluencers The Cut
There are few Black sexual assault nurse examiners. One university wants to change that NBC News
What happened to the Qatar women’s national team? New York Times
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“I'm so excited for someone your age. The sky's the limit. It wasn't as easy back when I was doing it.”
—Jennifer Coolidge reflecting on her career during an interview with Ariana Grande for Entertainment Weekly’s 2022 Entertainers of the Year.
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