Takeaway: The public will have greater access to COVID-19 related patents and patent applications.

On May 4, 2020, the USPTO announced its new intellectual property platform entitled, “Patent 4 Partnerships.” This program will provide the public with a user friendly platform which will allow users to search a repository of patents and patent applications related to COVID-19. This will also provide the public access to new COVID-19 related intellectual property available for licensing. Additionally, it will facilitate licensing and the commercialization of new technology in addition to providing users greater access to information regarding the patents such as inventor name, assignee, and issue date. Users are invited to interact and to provide comments on the main page of the platform.