TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to work with Technology and Innovation (TI) Department in conjunction with the I-Team and Economic Development Department and return to the City Council, within 90 days, detailing the following:
• Number of active patents in each of the following "key industry clusters" defined in the Blueprint for Economic Development:
• Logistics
• Leisure and Hospitality
• Business Services
• Education and Knowledge Creation
• Health Services;
• Complete number of active patents within all industries in the City of Long Beach;
• Opportunities for increased collaboration with the CSULB Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship;
• Recognition program and social media campaign highlighting Long Beach residents and companies that have been awarded patents in "key industry clusters";
• Measurable goals for increasing the density of patenting in Long Beach;
• Opportunities and potential partners to host workshops aimed to demystify intellectual property protection and patenting for local business owners, students, and interested residents;
• Inventory of public and privately available Makers Labs, 3D printers (Michelle Obama Library, Caruso Learning lab at St. Anthony, Shaun Lumachi Innovation Center) and hubs for innovation.
DISCUSSION
Each year the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) accepts and reviews hundreds of thousands of applications for patents. The individual applicant is known as the inventor and the corporation or entity that owns the rights to the intellectual property is the assignee. A city's number of submitted patent applications, and further, granted patents are vital indicators of its culture of innovation. Patented products are not created in a vacuum and there are various factors including access to natural resources, key industry clusters etc.) that contribute to the propensity for innovation in specific fields at a given location.
Across the nation, San Jose is easily the densest patenter with 770 patents per 100,000 residents.' In the City of Long Beach, nearly 5,000 patent applications have been submitted since 2001. More than 8,800 Long Beach based patents have been granted in the history of the City of Long Beach-, Many of these patents are in health services, business services and education and knowledge production, each of which are key industry clusters identified in the Blueprint for Economic Development",
In the recently published Blueprint for Economic Development, one of the objectives identified in the engines of growth section is to increase research capacity and relevance as measured by approved patents. It is essential that the City understand the current trends in patent applications and approved patents with inventors or assignees based in the city of Long Beach. Not only must the City understand the trends but it is also incumbent on City departments to support a culture of innovative thinking and protection of intellectual property through patenting at various touch points in the public, private, education and nonprofit sectors.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
[Timing Considerations]
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact at this time.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
BODY
[Enter Body Here]
Respectfully Submitted,
COUNCILWOMAN LENA GONZALEZ,
FIRST DISTRICT
COUNCILWOMAN SUZIE PRICE,
THIRD DISTRICT
COUNCILWOMAN STACY MUNGO,
FIFTH DISTRICT