The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) invites schools to participate in the 2021 National Patent Application Drafting Competition. The competition introduces law students to issues arising in U.S. patent law and develops their patent application drafting, amending, and prosecution skills.

Competition Process

Student teams will be given hypothetical invention statements for which they will search the prior art, prepare a specification, draft claims, and present their reasoning for patentability before a panel of judges comprised of patent examiners, practitioners, and high-profile guest judges.

The invention statements were released to the competing teams on November 16, 2020. The regional rounds will be virtual and include up to 15 teams. The winner from each regional round will be invited to compete in the National Final Competition before a panel of senior USPTO officials and other esteemed judges at USPTO Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, in April 2021.