We are excited to share the following article from Gail Griffin, Regional IP Counsel, Americas and Lee Morrisroe, Global Brand Protection Director in celebration of #WorldIPDay. Learn more on our new Brand Protection Landing page.
This year we celebrate World IP Day, which recognizes the role that intellectual property plays in inspiring innovation, creativity, and driving progress.
This year’s theme is Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity, which celebrates female inventors, creators, and entrepreneurs. Women have been historically underrepresented in IP with only about 20% of patent applications listing a woman as an inventor. This can be attributed to a variety of factors including gender bias, lack of access to resources and funding and social and cultural barriers.
Despite these challenges, women have made significant contributions to science and technology and have contributed to the development of some of life-changing inventions. For example, “frequency hopping”, that would later be used to develop WiFi and GPS systems, was co-invented by the talented mathematician and engineer (and actress), Hedy Lemarr. As a walnut farmer, Harriet Strong invented a water control and irrigation system to keep her crops hydrated, the concepts of which were used in the construction of the Hoover Dam. Stephanie Kwolek invented Kevlar™, greatly improving the safety of our first responders. Oh, and fun fact - that piece of plastic in your pizza box? That was invented 30 years ago by Carmela Vitale, transforming pizza delivery! Yet, with all of the amazing contributions of women to science and technology, of over 900 recipients of the Nobel Prize only 58 have been awarded to women and Marie Curie is the only woman to have won the Prize twice in different fields (1903 Physics; 1911 Chemistry).
At FMC, diversity and inclusion in innovation is a top priority. With appropriate support and mentorship, FMC is ensuring that women in science are initiating change, innovating, creating, and improving outcomes in the agrichemical sector.
As noted by the newly appointed head of FMC’s Research and Development Function:
World IP Day provides an opportunity to recognize the contributions of women to innovation and creativity, while also recognizing the unique challenges that these women have overcome to make these contributions. By promoting diversity and inclusion in science and technology, we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to bring their ideas to market, create intellectual property, and benefit from the rewards of innovation.
See World Intellectual Property Day 2023 – Celebrating Creativity & Innovation for additional information on World IP Day.
