Women transforming industries: Recognizing the power of intellectual property; United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), April 24 12 Noon EDT

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ; Women transforming industries: Recognizing the power of intellectual property

"Hear how women innovators are impacting industries across the board with intellectual property (IP) protection at our next Women's Entrepreneurship (WE) event, happening virtually and in person on Wednesday, April 24 from noon to 1 p.m. ET at George Mason University's Mason Enterprise Center in Fairfax, Virginia.

Expert panelists, including women entrepreneurs, small business owners, and inventors, will discuss resources and services that can help you protect your IP, access capital, find mentors, and network with fellow innovators and entrepreneurs.

An agenda and speaker list will be posted soon.

Register today

Webinar: Proud Innovation 2022, part one: From ideas to innovations; United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Wednesday, June 15, 2022 3 PM - 4:05 EDT

Proud Innovation 2022, part one: From ideas to innovations 

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Do you have an idea you want to bring to life? Join the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to get inspired by successful innovators turning concepts into creations. Register for the free, online Proud Innovation 2022 series, part one: From ideas to innovations.

The Proud Innovation series highlights the accomplishments of LGBTQIA+ innovators, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who are using their intellectual property to promote advancements and serve as mentors.

This page will be updated with speaker biographies as the event approaches.

Agenda

(All times ET)

3-3:05 p.m. Program welcome and overview    

• Sean Wilkerson, Innovation Outreach Program Manager, USPTO 

3:05-3:10 p.m.  Leadership greetings  

3:10-4 p.m.  Panel discussion: How to transform your idea into reality  

Hear how these innovators are using their experiences and inventions to build a better tomorrow:

• Arianna T. Morales, Ph.D., Staff Research Scientist, General Motors R&D Center
• Suma Reddy, Co-Founder and CEO, Future Acres 
• David Taubenheim, Senior Data Scientist, NVIDIA 
• Theodore ‘TJ’ Ronningen, Ph.D., Chair, Out to Innovate; Research Scientist, Ohio State University (moderator)

4-4:05 p.m. Wrap-up and resources   

• Sean Wilkerson, Innovation Outreach Program Manager, USPTO 

Arianna T. Morales, Ph.D., Staff Research Scientist, General Motors R&D Center

Patent Trolls Target Small Businesses With Lawsuit Threats. Here's How One Startup Fought Back; Inc., February 22, 2018

Minda Zetlin, Inc.; Patent Trolls Target Small Businesses With Lawsuit Threats. Here's How One Startup Fought Back

"Why are they targeting small businesses?

For years, these entities made their money by suing or threatening to sue large corporations with deep pockets. This worked well because they could take advantage of the rule that companies can be sued anywhere they do business, and large companies tend to do business in every state. Patent trolls found a few federal court districts where they had greater odds of winning. From their point of view, life was good.

But in May 2017, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that companies could only be sued for patent infringement in the state where they reside. That made collecting much harder for patent assertion entities. Many turned their attention to small companies and startups for which the cost of defending a patent case could pose an existential threat. They began sending letters containing a simple proposition: Pay us a (relatively reasonable) one-time fee and we'll sell you a permanent license and drop our planned lawsuit."

Protecting Your Business: When To Consult An Intellectual Property Lawyer; CBS Los Angeles, July 6, 2017

Christopher Millard, CBS Los Angeles; Protecting Your Business: When To Consult An Intellectual Property Lawyer

"To many a small business owner, legalese can inspire fear in the heart. Intellectual property law is no exception, but this critical legal concept is tantamount to the health and well-being of your business. As Darren Dahl of the New York Times points out, “They see images of expensive lawyers and use that as an excuse to ignore the topic, reasoning that it is a problem for big companies to worry about.” He goes on to point out that through the rise of the internet, protecting your intellectual property has become a necessity. Small businesses are threatened more so, due to the lack of personnel to police intellectual property infringement.

So, let’s decode exactly what intellectual property means, and when you need to call in a lawyer to help your organization...

This article was written by Christopher Millard for CBS Small Business Pulse"

SCORE: Trademark basics for small business owners; Traverse City Record-Eagle, May 21, 2017

Ed Ketterer, Traverse City Record-Eagle; 

SCORE: Trademark basics for small business owners

"To learn more about trademarks, visit the USPTO website (www.uspto.gov) where you’ll find detailed information and links to helpful resources. You’ll also want to attend SCORE’s free workshop “Intellectual Property 101: Trademarks, Copyrights, Patents and Internet Law” on Tuesday, June 13, 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Traverse Area District Library Woodmere branch. To reserve your seat, visit www.upnorthscore.com"

Economic Development: Intellectual property must be protected from theft; Billings Gazette, April 2, 2017

Dena Johnson and Jennifer Webber, Billings Gazette; 

Economic Development: Intellectual property must be protected from theft

"Rising "intellectual property crime in the United States and abroad threatens our public safety and economic well being.” US Department of Justice.

What does this mean for Main Street businesses? Are they at risk? Or is intellectual property (“IP”) protection only a concern for larger companies? The answer? IP should be a priority for every business owner no matter the size. Your company should “protect the programs and systems that support what makes your company successful and unique.” Federal Bureau of Investigation.

We interviewed attorney Jennifer L. Webber of WEBBERpllc (www.webberpllc.com) to learn more."

USPTO pushes trademark message at National Expo; exhibitors call for more public outreach efforts; World Trademark Review, 10/24/16

Tim Lince, World Trademark Review; USPTO pushes trademark message at National Expo; exhibitors call for more public outreach efforts:

"To appeal to the many youngsters attending, there were trademark-themed colouring books, a scavenger hunt and familiar costumed characters walking around the venue (including Crayola crayons, a Hershey’s Kiss, Fruit of the Loom characters and the USPTO’s own mascot, T-Markey). One of the events objectives, Denison told us after the opening ceremony, is to show attendees, especially those visiting on field trips, that “trademarks are fun” and not just a dry legal necessity, adding: “One of the reasons that the Expo is aimed at children is to get them thinking about trademarks at 10 years old, rather than when they're 35 years old and they've already started a business.” One of the exhibitors, Meghan Donohoe, COO at the AIPLA, told us that the strategy to inspire young people appeared to be working. “All the kids were wearing Under Armour, so it was interesting to see kids connect the dots when they realise the brand that they are wearing is trademarked,” she notes."