An act to direct the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, in consultation with the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, to study and provide recommendations to promote the participation of women, minorities, and veterans in entrepreneurship activities and the patent system, to extend by 8 years the Patent and Trademark Office's authority to set the amounts for the fees it charges, and for other purposes
PL 115-273 (H.R.6758), enacted 10/31/2018

132 STAT. 4158 
PUBLIC LAW 115–273—OCT. 31, 2018 
Public Law 115–273 
115th Congress 
An Act 
To direct the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director 
of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, in consultation with the 
Administrator of the Small Business Administration, to study and provide rec-
ommendations to promote the participation of women, minorities, and veterans 
in entrepreneurship activities and the patent system, to extend by 8 years the 
Patent and Trademark Office’s authority to set the amounts for the fees it charges, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Study of Underrepresented 
Classes Chasing Engineering and Science Success Act of 2018’’ 
or the ‘‘SUCCESS Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Patents and other forms of intellectual property are 
important engines of innovation, invention, and economic 
growth. 
(2) Many innovative small businesses, which create over 
20 percent of the total number of new jobs created in the 
United States each year, depend on patent protections to 
commercialize new technologies. 
(3) Universities and their industry partners also rely on 
patent protections to transfer innovative new technologies from 
the laboratory or classroom to commercial use. 
(4) Recent studies have shown that there is a significant 
gap in the number of patents applied for and obtained by 
women and minorities. 
(b) SENSE
OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that 
the United States has the responsibility to work with the private 
sector to close the gap in the number of patents applied for and 
obtained by women and minorities to harness the maximum innova-
tive potential and continue to promote United States leadership 
in the global economy. 
SEC. 3. REPORT. 
(a) STUDY.—The Director, in consultation with the Adminis-
trator and any other head of an appropriate agency, shall conduct 
a study that— 
(1) identifies publicly available data on the number of 
patents annually applied for and obtained by, and the benefits 
of increasing the number of patents applied for and obtained 
15 USC 1 note. 
Study of 
Underrepresented 
Classes Chasing 
Engineering and 
Science Success 
Act of 2018. 
Oct. 31, 2018 
[H.R. 6758] 
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132 STAT. 4159 
PUBLIC LAW 115–273—OCT. 31, 2018 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 6758: 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 115–966 (Comm. on the Judiciary). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 164 (2018): 
Sept. 25, considered and passed House. 
Oct. 11, considered and passed Senate. 
DAILY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS (2018): 
Oct. 31, Presidential statement. 
by women, minorities, and veterans and small businesses owned 
by women, minorities, and veterans; and 
(2) provides legislative recommendations for how to— 
(A) promote the participation of women, minorities, 
and veterans in entrepreneurship activities; and 
(B) increase the number of women, minorities, and 
veterans who apply for and obtain patents. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Director shall submit to the Committees 
on the Judiciary and Small Business of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committees on the Judiciary and Small Business 
and Entrepreneurship of the Senate a report on the results of 
the study conducted under subsection (a). 
SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF FEE-SETTING AUTHORITY. 
Section 10(i)(2) of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (Public 
Law 112–29; 125 Stat. 319; 35 U.S.C. 41 note) is amended by 
striking ‘‘7-year’’ and inserting ‘‘15-year’’. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the 
Administrator of the Small Business Administration. 
(2) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ means a department, 
agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government. 
(3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means the Under Sec-
retary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of 
the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 
Approved October 31, 2018. 
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