|
Trademarks Coast to Coast
Guest blog by Commissioner for
Trademarks Mary Boney Denison
USPTO regional
offices support the agency’s mission of fostering
innovation by serving their regions’ intellectual property (IP) communities,
assisting local businesses, and educating the public about the importance of
IP. Regional office staff, in addition to USPTO trademark staff from headquarters,
provide the public with full access to trademark information and
resources in their local communities. This year, I visited all four regional
offices: Denver and Silicon Valley in the fall, and Dallas and Detroit earlier
in the year. During these visits, I had the chance to meet with USPTO
employees, hear from local businesses, inventors, and IP practitioners about
their concerns, and hold events on the importance of trademarks.
In September, I visited the Rocky Mountain Regional Office
in Denver, where I got to see firsthand the vibrant IP community in the region,
as well as the tireless work done by Director Molly
Kocialski and the Denver office staff. I was excited to host the first
interactive webcast trademark session in the Rocky Mountain region with USPTO trademark
experts. With the help of representatives from the USPTO’s Trademark Assistance
Center, we provided an overview of the trademark registration process and answered participants’
trademark questions. I also led an American
Intellectual Property Association (AIPLA) Practitioner Roundtable, participated
in a company listening tour, and provided important USPTO updates to area
businesses.
I then visited the Silicon
Valley Office in San Jose, California. Led by Director
John Cabeca, the office has been busy supporting the active IP community and
holding a variety of trademark events, from monthly lunch and learns to
lectures on how to file international trademark applications under the Madrid
Protocol. While in San Jose, I led an International Trademark Association (INTA)
roundtable with Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) judge Francie Gorowitz,
designed to offer insights into USPTO operations and help us better understand
the needs of those using our services. I also spoke at World Congress’
Corporate IP Counsel Forum conference on updates to trademark law, and met with
Playstation,® Visa,® and Carbon3D, a cutting edge 3-D printing company.
In February, I visited the Texas
Regional Office in Dallas, led by Director Hope Shimabuku. The office has
already been holding monthly “Meet the Trademark Experts” to address trademark
questions from the community. With Director Shimabuku, I participated in
the office’s first all-day trademark workshop for the public, where we
discussed Trademarks 101, filing options, the petitions process, and recent
Trademark Office developments. Over the summer, the Texas Regional Office also
held an all-day conference in San Antonio for independent inventors,
entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Trademark’s Managing Attorney for
Educational Outreach Craig Morris and several other USPTO representatives participated
in the event, where they discussed the trademark process, what happens after a
trademark registers, and pitfalls to avoid when filing for a trademark
registration.
In March, I visited the Elijah J.
McCoy Midwest Regional Office in Detroit, which regularly holds trademark-focused
lunch and learn events, and workshops on the basics of trademarks, trademark
searching, and the Madrid Protocol. The office has also frequently held
outreach events with representatives from the TTAB, including Chief Judge Rogers.
During my visit, I joined Detroit’s Regional Director Dr. Christal Sheppard at
the State Bar of Michigan’s Spring IP Seminar at Michigan State University. While
in East Lansing, I spoke with students and professors at the Michigan State
College of Law, and then held a Trademark Lunch and Learn in Detroit with sixty
entrepreneurs.
Just like USPTO staff here at headquarters, regional office
staff are dedicated, hard-working employees committed to the mission of the
USPTO. During my trips this year, I’ve met
with a number of USPTO trademark employees in the Telework Enhancement Act
Pilot Program (TEAPP), learned about their day-to-day work to help the public,
and also heard their valuable suggestions on improving the services the USPTO provides. Meeting
with inventors, businesses, and IP practitioners in
innovation communities across the country, I have gained a better understanding
of the issues and challenges they face. I look forward to another great year working
with the USPTO regional offices to support innovators even further.
Read more from the Director's Forum Blog
|
