This article appeared in The Intellectual Property Strategist, an ALM/Law Journal Newsletters publication that provides a practical source of both business and litigation tactics in the fast-changing area of intellectual property law, including litigating IP rights, patent damages, venue and infringement issues, inter partes review, trademarks on social media – and more.

Every February, well-meaning people highlight achievements by African American inventors and innovators as part of Black History Month. In our field of patent law, we and our colleagues often receive online tidbits about inventors like George Washington Carver (peanut butter), Charles Drew (blood banking), Garrett Morgan (traffic lights), Marie Van Brittan Brown (home security systems) and Shirley Jackson (telecommunications technology), among others.