Kentucky
Forum with former USPTO director to explore ‘blueprints for innovation’ in Kentucky
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 2, 2025) — UK Innovate, the Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP) and the Kentucky Intellectual Property Alliance (KYIPA) — an initiative of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corp. — will host a forum focused on the critical role of intellectual property (IP) in fostering innovation and regional economic development.
The event, Blueprints for Innovation: Intellectual Property in the Bluegrass State, will be 3-5:45 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, at UK’s Gatton Student Center in Ballroom 212A.
The afternoon will feature a range of engaging discussions and presentations, providing valuable insights into the national innovation landscape and the importance of IP.
“For decades, innovative businesses including many in Kentucky have developed and maintained competitive advantage through protection of their technology with IP rights,” said Ian McClure, J.D., UK HealthCare vice president for innovation and UK Research associate vice president for research, innovation and economic impact. “Our ability to compete in fast-evolving technology markets as a region, and globally as a nation, relies significantly in the strength of our IP system, and I look forward to the insights that will be shared by local and national leaders on these important matters right here on our campus.”
The event will include a fireside chat featuring U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, who has sponsored bills in Congress to reform the patent system for stronger IP rights, and Andrei Iancu, board co-chair of C4IP, former undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and the former director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Attendees will hear a national innovation perspective from Frank Cullen, executive director of C4IP.
“We’re excited to join UK Innovate and KYIPA to highlight how IP drives Kentucky’s growing innovation economy — from its thriving manufacturing sector to cutting-edge research at its universities — and supports entrepreneurship and job creation throughout the Bluegrass State,” said Cullen.
The key panel discussion of the event will bring together a group of experts, moderated by McClure, including:
- Mandy Decker, chair of KYIPA and patent attorney with Stites & Harbison
- Jeffery Langer, general counsel of Zoeller Co.
- Terry Samuel, president of Kentucky Science and Technology Corp.
- Raechelle Smalls, director, Invest Blue
- Michael Murray, Spears-Gilbert Associate Professor of Law at the UK J. David Rosenberg College of Law
The forum will conclude with a Q&A session followed by a reception. You can register for the forum and find the full agenda online.
This event is free and open to anyone interested in the intersection of innovation and IP in Kentucky.
About the Council for Innovation Promotion
The Council for Innovation Promotion is a bipartisan coalition dedicated to promoting strong and effective intellectual property rights that drive innovation, boost economic competitiveness and improve lives everywhere.
About Kentucky Intellectual Property Alliance
KYIPA, an initiative of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation and affiliated with the United States Intellectual Property Alliance, fosters an effective ecosystem and marketplace to facilitate the creation, protection and advancement of intellectual property in Kentucky. By serving as a connecting organization for statewide companies, organizations and innovators, KYIPA helps Kentuckians access, learn about and benefit from IP. Learn more at kyipa.org.
About UK Innovate
UK Innovate at the University of Kentucky drives economic, societal and entrepreneurial growth from research discoveries. Through technology commercialization, healthcare innovations, corporate partnerships, social innovation and economic development, UK Innovate helps researchers and employees across UK Research and UK HealthCare accelerate their ideas into use. By connecting talent, research, corporate partners and community resources, UK Innovate works to move ideas into the world faster, where they can make the greatest societal and economic impact possible. Learn more: www.research.uky.edu/ukinnovate.
Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats will be looking to replace a lot in the transfer portal, and one thing that Pope will need a ton of is three-point shooting. The three-point shooting this season for Kentucky outside of Collin Chandler was rough. Otega Oweh, Kam Williams, and Denzel Aberdeen all had a solid shooting season, but Chandler was the only true, reliable three-point shooter.
Williams is a player that fans expect to get much better from three next season if he is back in Lexington, but Pope is still going to need a lot of shooting.
When Pope took the job at Kentucky, he wanted to shoot over 30, perhaps even 35 threes per game, but in his two seasons, this has not happened. Coach Pope needs to get back to this for his offense to work at a high level, but he will need the roster to get it done.
While the portal is not technically open yet, some players have announced that they plan to enter the portal when it does open on April 7th. Some Kentucky fans have already started to list players whom Pope should reach out to in the portal. Many of the guard’s BBN wants look good on paper, but don’t have elite three-point shooting percentages.
The point of this article is to make the case that Coach Pope can’t gamble with the players he brings in via the portal to be shooters. A great example of this is Jaland Lowe, as he came over from Pitt with a bad three-point shooting percentage. He didn’t play enough this year to really judge him as a shooter, but Pope doesn’t need projects like this.
He shouldn’t take guards who shot 31% from three. Pope needs to take players who are true knockdown shooters from deep, so the Wildcats offense next season will have a handful of players who are all capable of making threes.
There are some guards and forwards in the portal right now who had great seasons shooting the ball from deep and more will enter when it officially opens on the 7th. Coach Pope needs a bunch of players who shot 35% or better from deep, so the Wildcats are an elite team from beyond the arc.
If Kentucky isn’t a good shooting team, we will see a season similar to this one next year, so shooting is a top priority for the staff when the portal opens here in about a week.
Even in the era of the transfer portal and NIL, fans of a team will still focus on and care about recruiting. That’s especially the case with the Kentucky Wildcats. Fans are already up in arms about Kentucky’s recruiting for the class of 2026, or, in their case, lack thereof.
Only one player is signed for the class of 2026, after 4-star point guard Mason Williams announced his commitment to play for the Cats on Friday. On the board. Still work to do.
Chris Washington Jr., an Alabama decommit and top-35 senior prospect, is a new target for Mark Pope and UK ahead of the spring signing period in mid-April. The staff reached out to his AAU coach, Bobby Maze, to gauge the athletic wing’s potential interest. This is all according to Kentucky Sports Radio.
Washington is a 6-9, 195-pound forward who originally committed to Alabama, but decommitted in November. Kentucky is now included among the likes of Tennessee, Oregon, Oklahoma State, USC, and SMU that are interested in Washington.
“It’s a good program,” Washington said of Kentucky while adding, “Honestly, I just want to go where I’m wanted — and the play style. I got to go where I fit in and where the coaches really want me. (My recruitment is) open. Whenever the time is right.”
Only four players ranked ahead of him remain available in 2026, including No. 1 Tyran Stokes. That tells you just how big of a prospect Washington will be in the spring signing period.
Kentucky has swung and missed in recruiting a lot recently. But there is still time to get things moving in the right direction this spring on both the high school front and in the transfer portal.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WKRC) — A Kentucky man was arrested Thursday after police said he was riding a horse while intoxicated, reports WBKO.
Bowling Green police said they found 48-year-old Jorge Luis Hernandez on a horse, partially slumped over, as it walked along a road. He and the horse then began traveling on a sidewalk, according to an arrest record.
Police said Hernandez had a “strong odor of alcoholic beverage” and had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and delayed movements. Hernandez said he had just left the liquor store and had a liquor store bag tied to the horse’s saddle.
Hernandez was arrested and charged with operating a non-motor vehicle under the influence of intoxicants.
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