Posts Tagged ‘stopfakes.gov’

h1

STOPfakes Roadshows Deliver Critical Intellectual Property Information to U.S. Businesses

May 5, 2020

By Benjamin Hardman, Senior International Trade Specialist, Office of Standards and Intellectual Property

StopFakes.gov logo roundThe need for U.S. businesses to be vigilant about protecting their intellectual property has never been greater. Many well-known U.S. brands are being knocked off by cheap counterfeits and pirated goods, mainly made in China, and marketed through e-commerce platforms.

The trade secrets of our most innovative companies are increasingly targeted for theft with tradecraft more commonly seen in state-sponsored espionage. The creative genius of American artists, authors, inventors, engineers, and other creators is stolen and sold for pennies on the dollar. America’s comparative advantage, our ingenuity, is under attack, and we must do everything we can to uphold and strengthen American businesses, so they may protect themselves and advance our global competitiveness.

Since 2005, the International Trade Administration’s STOPfakes program has served as an important mechanism in harnessing the IP resources of various U.S. Federal agencies through a singular channel, providing guidance to U.S. businesses and consumers.

The STOPfakes Roadshows are an essential component to our program’s success, delivering critical intellectual property information to the audiences that need it most: start-ups, entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized businesses, independent creators, and inventors.

STOPfakes conducts 8 to 10 roadshows each year in partnership with local U.S. Export Assistance Centers, bringing the program to cities across the country. The information at STOPfakes roadshows is provided by IP experts from multiple government agencies. Their presentations of timely and invaluable information during the one-day seminars allow for the best means of advancing U.S. IP interests.

  • The International Trade Administration identifies mechanisms for obtaining intellectual property protection in export markets;
  • The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office provides information about how to protect patents and trademarks;
  • The U.S. Copyright Office discusses the importance of copyright protection to businesses;
  • The U.S. Customs and Border Protection explains how a registered trademark or copyright can be recorded with Customs to facilitate the seizure of infringing goods at the U.S. border;
  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation or a local Assistant U.S. Attorney discusses how to protect trade secrets and identify internal and external threats;
  • The U.S. Department of State highlights the role diplomacy and our diplomatic missions play in advocating for U.S. businesses overseas; and
  • The Small Business Administration advises on the potential use of grants and loans to help with the costs of obtaining IP protection before exporting.

Stopfakes medley of Intellectual Property images

In addition to the regular roadshow partners listed above, the Minority Business Development Agency, Export-Import Bank, and Patent and Trademark Resource Centers are also frequent participants. Our whole-of-government approach provides many resources to assist U.S. businesses with acquiring and protecting their intellectual property.

In 2018, the STOPfakes team expanded the opportunities available to businesses at the roadshows to include three signature offerings:

  • First, participants can sign up to talk one-on-one with the speakers for 10-minute sessions.
  • Second, participants can apply for copyright registration. U.S. Copyright Office staff will be on site to facilitate the application process required to register a work online. The fee is $55 for most works and takes approximately 20 minutes.
  • Third, participants can apply for copyright and trademark recordation. On-site assistance is made available by U.S. Customs and Border Protection staff. The fee for Trademark recordation is $190 per international class of goods, and the fee for copyrights are $190 per application. The registration process takes approximately 40 minutes.

For more information regarding the STOPfakes programs or to learn more about our resources and upcoming roadshows, please visit: www.STOPfakes.gov.

Posted in Industry and Analysis, Intellectual Property | Tagged | Comments Off on STOPfakes Roadshows Deliver Critical Intellectual Property Information to U.S. Businesses

h1

Five Tips for Protecting Your Intellectual Property in Global Business

April 23, 2014

Ken Mouradian is the Director of the International Trade Administration’s Orlando Export Assistance Center.

You spent the time and money to build your business, including the development of products and services (patents, trade secrets and copyrights), business methods (trade secrets), brands (trademarks and service marks), and your presence on the Internet (trademarks and associated domain names, copyrights). Why wouldn’t you protect these Intellectual Property (IP) assets from unauthorized use?

Stopfakes.gov is your portal to resources for protecting intellectual property.Many small businesses are at a disadvantage in not having the expertise or resources to prevent theft of their intellectual property in the global marketplace. So in recognition of World IP Day on April 26, here are some simple, practical measures that any exporter can take to protect their IP assets:

  1. Conduct an IP audit. An IP audit will document the assets that you own, the assets that you may be acquiring, and how you’re using other people’s IP. It should support your export marketing plan, as an IP audit allows you to make business decisions about which assets to protect in each market. It doesn’t have to be elaborate; and it’s something that you can do yourself.
  2. Own your business… all of it! If you allow your foreign business partner to register your IP, in most foreign countries, they become the “right holder.” You need to register your own IP assets and record trademark and copyright registrations (and in some countries, design patents) with the customs administration to block the import and export of infringing items.
  3. Know your partners. Your local U.S. Export Assistance Center can help you to qualify existing or potential foreign business partners. Include provisions in your contracts that require the use of original and unaltered products and preclude the partners’ registration of your IP.
  4. Monitor the use of your IP. Plan to visit the market regularly; and use track-and-trace technology like RFID or bar codes to make it easier to audit products and spot fakes. Monitor domain names, e-commerce and auction platforms; and use Internet search engines – including image search – to find infringing products online. Include the obligation to report instances of infringement in your contracts with foreign business partners; and train business partners to spot fakes.
  5. Have an enforcement strategy. Make it part of your export marketing plan to know the administrative and legal relief available to you to enforce your Intellectual Property Rights in each export market. STOPfakes.gov offers country toolkits for select markets. You can also obtain country-specific information from U.S. embassies by contacting your local U.S. Export Assistance Center.

There is no substitute for qualified legal counsel. However, there is a lot that you can do yourself to get started. For more information, please visit www.STOPfakes.gov and the Inventors Resources Center from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Posted in Export Assistance, Intellectual Property | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Five Tips for Protecting Your Intellectual Property in Global Business