In the Media
Kathi Vidal Discusses Gender Gap in Patents with MLex
In the Media
September 23, 2025
Winston & Strawn partner Kathi Vidal was featured in a MLex article where she discussed the gender gap in patents, outreach efforts in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office under her leadership as the former Director, and how the office can support women inventors. A 2022 study from the USPTO showed that office policy can help close the gap between men and women in the US patent system. The paper studied the effectiveness of the Pro Se Pilot Examination Unit (PSPEU), which provides additional communication and assistance to inventors attempting to prosecute a patent without representation.
According to the study, inventors who took advantage of the PSPEU were more likely to get their patent application approved, with an average of a 6 percent increase for male inventors and a 18 percent increase for female inventors.
“Women tended to benefit more than men, not just pro se but also pro bono ... and part of the reason for that is — I don't think that women need more help — but I think it's a more collaborative process that better aligns with the way women prefer to work,” she said. “Women thrive through collaboration and working with others. That’s statistically and scientifically proven, so just the ability to work and bounce ideas off of others — whether it's a pro se lawyer or whether it's somebody in the pro se unit who is helping the different applicants — had a disproportionate benefit on women.”
The study also concluded that a portion of the gender gap in patenting could be eliminated through additional assistance during patent examination. Under Kathi’s leadership, the USPTO implemented solutions, including rolling out a welcome letter addressed directly to new applicants laying out a roadmap for patenting. The office also established and substantially expanded outreach programs, including public library programs targeting underrepresented groups as well as school programs.
“We want to . . . support every single individual, and knew that if we did that — as you saw from the [study], those who tended not to benefit . . . as much from the IP system would benefit at higher rates, providing more parity,” she stated. “So we did that, whether it came to kids, rural communities, HBCUs, women, it was all over the place.”
Kathi said such outreach is critical for the USPTO’s broader goals of fostering innovation and lifting up US inventorship on the world stage.
