By Godson Umejiego, Bureau Chief, The Americas

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) hosted the final round of the National Patent Application Drafting Competition (NPADC) on April 12 at USPTO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

Below are the winners:

• First place – University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law
• Second place – UC Berkeley School of Law
• Third place – University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
• Finalists – Emory University School of Law and George Washington University Law School

Over the past few months, competitors honed their patent application drafting, amending, and prosecution skills. The competition narrowed from 76 registrations to the top five teams, who met at USPTO headquarters April 12 to present to our panel of judges. In addition to gaining practical experience they will use in their future careers, the students interacted with leaders in the intellectual property community.