Fri, Jan 29th 2021 2:30pm — Josh Landau As the Iancu era at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office comes to a close, one of the USPTO's initiatives has focused on promoting diversity in patenting. The newly established National Council on Expanding American Innovation, and the associated USPTO request for comments on a national strategy for expanding innovation, focus on having under-represented groups more involved in creating patentable inventions. That's a laudable goal. But we shouldn't be aiming just to have more under-represented groups receive patents. More patents doesn't necessarily mean more innovation, it just means more patents. Instead, we need to ensure that those groups are both provided the support to innovate and that their innovation is recognized.