# 117-hr-8697: Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022

117-hr-8697, Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022, is a 117th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC); status Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-8697
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 117-hr-8697
- Congress: 117
- Title: Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022
- Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
- Introduced: 2022-08-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Commerce
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Unleashing American Innovators Act of 2022 This bill modifies the responsibilities of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) satellite offices, increases the discount on patent-related fees for small and micro entities, and addresses related issues. Specifically, the bill modifies the statutory purpose of PTO satellite offices to include outreach and retention activities targeting underrepresented groups and individuals from economically, geographically, and demographically diverse backgrounds. For each satellite office established after July 1, 2022, the PTO must consider the office's proximity to anchor institutions (e.g., hospitals primarily serving veterans and institutions of higher education) and populations that are underrepresented in patent filings, including women, people of color, and rural populations. The PTO must establish (1) a satellite office in the southeastern United States within three years of this bill's enactment, (2) at least four community outreach offices throughout the United States within five years of this bill's enactment, and (3) a pilot program to help prospective first-time patent applicants assess the likelihood that a potential patent will be issued. The PTO must also (1) conduct and report to Congress a study on patent pro bono programs, including whether such programs are sufficiently serving underrepresented groups; and (2) use the study's findings to update such pro bono programs. In addition to increasing the discount on fees for small and micro entities, the bill also imposes penalties for making a fraudulent certification to obtain the discount, specifically by revoking any patent resulting from an application related to the fraudulent certification.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1] (R-SC), 2022-08-09T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 117-hr-5545: REMOTE Act
- 117-hr-1448: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act
- 117-hr-1437: Further Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2023
- 117-hr-5142: To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal, in commemoration to the servicemembers who perished in Afghanistan on August 26, 2021, during the evacuation…
- 117-hr-263: Big Cat Public Safety Act
- 117-hr-7181: Human Trafficking Prevention Act of 2022

## Sources
- [117-hr-8697 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8697)

## Related
- [117-hr-5545: REMOTE Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5545)
- [117-hr-1448: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1448)
- [117-hr-1437: Further Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2023](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1437)
- [117-hr-5142: To award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal, in commemoration to the servi…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5142)
- [117-hr-263: Big Cat Public Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-263)
- [117-hr-7181: Human Trafficking Prevention Act of 2022](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-7181)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-8697 (as of 2025-11-18).