,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #dcid  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #cj1     
#bjbj,ms4 ,hirono 7for herself1 ,mr4    
,tillis1 and ,mr4 ,coons7 introduced the
 following bill2 which was read twice   
and referred to the ,committee on the   
,judiciary  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend chapter
 #aa of title #ce1 ,united ,states      
,code1 to require the voluntary         
collection of demographic information   
for patent inventors1 and for other     
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,inventor ,diversity
 for ,economic ,advancement ,act of     
#bjbj or the ,,idea ,act4  #b4          
,collection of demographic information  
for patent inventors  7a7 ,amendment    
,chapter #aa of title #ce1 ,united      
,states ,code1 is amended by adding at  
the end the following3  #abd4           
,collection of demographic information  
for patent inventors  7a7 ,voluntary    
collection ,the ,director shall provide 
for the collection of demographic       

information1 including gender1 race1    
military or veteran status1 and any     
other demographic category that the     
,director determines appropriate1       
related to each inventor listed with an 
application for patent1 that may be     
submitted voluntarily by that inventor4 
7b7 ,protection of information ,the     
,director shall-- 7#a7 keep any         
information submitted under subsection  
7a7 confidential and separate from the  
application for patent2 and  7#b7       
establish appropriate procedures to     
ensure-- 7,a7 the confidentiality of any
 information submitted under subsection 
7a72 and  7,b7 that demographic         
information is not made available to    
examiners or considered in the          
examination of any application for      
patent4  7c7 ,relation to ,federal      
information policy law ,subchapter ,i of
 chapter #ce of of title #dd shall not  
apply to the collection of demographic  
information under subsection 7a74  7d7  
,publication of demographic information 

7#a7 ,report required ,not later than   
,january #ca of each year1 the ,director
 shall make publicly available a report 
that1 except as provided in paragraph   
7#c7-- 7,a7 includes the total number of
 patent applications filed during the   
previous year disaggregated-- 7i7 by    
demographic information described in    
subsection 7a72 and  7ii7 by technology 
class number1 technology class title1   
country of residence of the inventor1   
and ,state of residence of the inventor 
in the ,united ,states2  7,b7 includes  
the total number of patents issued      
during the previous year disaggregated--
 7i7 by demographic information         
described in subsection 7a72 and  7ii7  
by technology class number1 technology  
class title1 country of residence of the
 inventor1 and ,state of residence of   
the inventor in the ,united ,states2 and
  7,c7 includes a discussion of the data
 collection methodology and summaries of
 the aggregate responses4  7#b7 ,data   
availability ,in conjunction with       

issuance of the report under paragraph  
7#a71 the ,director shall make publicly 
available data based on the demographic 
information collected under subsection  
7a7 that1 except as provided in         
paragraph 7#c71 allows the information  
to be cross-tabulated to review         
subgroups4  7#c7 ,privacy ,the          
,director-- 7,a7 may not include        
personally identifying information in-- 
7i7 the report made publicly available  
under paragraph 7#a72 or  7ii7 the data 
made publicly available under paragraph 
7#b72 and  7,b7 in making publicly      
available the report under paragraph    
7#a7 and the data under paragraph 7#b71 
shall anonymize any personally          
identifying information related to the  
demographic information collected under 
subsection 7a74  7e7 ,biennial report   
,the ,director shall submit to ,congress
 a biennial report that evaluates the   
data collection process under this      
section1 ease of access to the          
information by the public1 and          

recommendations on how to improve data  
collection4  4  7b7 ,technical and      
conforming amendment ,the table of      
sections at the beginning of chapter #aa
 of title #ce1 ,united ,states ,code1 is
 amended by adding at the end the       
following3  #abd4 ,collection of        
demographic information for patent      
inventors4  4  7c7 ,deadline for        
biennial report ,not later than #b years
 after the date of enactment of this    
,act1 and every #b years thereafter1 the
 ,under ,secretary of ,commerce for     
,intellectual ,property and ,director of
 the ,united ,states ,patent and        
,trademark ,office shall submit to      
,congress the biennial report required  
under section #abd7;e7 of title #ce1    
,united ,states ,code1 as added by      
subsection 7a74