Intellectual Property Protection Training for Small Businesses

There is a new bill that is making its way through the congress.  H.R. 2655 was introduced by Congressman Dwight Evans on May 25, 2017.

The bill addresses challenges that small businesses have in obtaining, maintaining, and enforcing foreign and domestic patents.

Intellectual property rights are essential in encouraging entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs and small business owners have generated more than 63 percent of new jobs over the last two decades, and small businesses represent about 96 percent of employer firms in high-patenting manufacturing industries.

Small businesses in the United States are at a particular disadvantage, however, because they may lack the knowledge, expertise, or resources necessary to prevent the theft of their ideas and products.

According to the USPTO only 15 percent of small businesses that conduct business overseas know that they need to file for IP protection abroad.

Many small businesses also may not have personnel and operations overseas, so they lack the ‘‘eyes and ears’’ needed to be vigilant globally, and the theft of their IP can often go undetected.

In addition, small businesses generally do not have the level of access or the re- sources, such as specialized legal counsel, that may be available to larger companies.

In 2012, the SBA and USPTO released a joint report on international patent protection for small businesses.3 The report found that many small businesses may benefit from extending patent rights outside the United States, but few were aware of the necessity or the mechanisms available to accurately and effectively pursue an international patent.

This bill making its way through Congress would authorized  both the SBA and USPTO to provide small businesses training on Intelllectual Property to protect themselves from both domestic and international harm.

The bill calls for the training to be developed by the Administrator of the SBA and the Director of the USPTO may be delivered by the SBA, USPTO or SBDC in person or electronically to small businesses relating to domestic and international intellectual property protections and how to incorporate such protections into business plans and growth strategies.

On July 10, 2018 the bill passed in the House.  On July 11, 2018 it was placed on the calendar in the Senate.

You can track the progress of the bill here: H.R. 2655.

Sources:
H.R. 2655: Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017

By Bill Williams