STOPfakes Roadshow - Central California

04/08/2025
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
(GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US and Canada)
801 R Street, Fresno, CA, USA,

About

Date: 9:00am - 4:00pm PDT on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 

Venue (in-person only):
 U.S. Small Business Administration, 801 R Street, # 102, Fresno CA


Cost: 
$0 or $35

  • Register Early! The first 50, California-based, for-profit, small businesses to register will receive complimentary admittance limited to one comp ticket per companyPlease check this link to verify small business size thresholdsComplimentary registrations are sponsored by CA GO-Biz.  Register by Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 3pm Pacific.
  • For small businesses after the first 50, as well as medium/large businesses, and companies outside CA, the registration fee is $35.
  • All registrations include continental breakfast and lunch, as well as sign up for 1:1 meetings with speakers and additional agencies.
  • Pre-registration is required for this in-person program.  Walk-in registration is not available.

Overview: The STOPfakes.gov Roadshow delivers critically important information about intellectual property to the audience that needs it most—startups, entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized businesses, independent creators, and inventors. The information is presented by experts who deal with intellectual property issues, including from multiple government agencies (International Trade Administration, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection). 

Topics: Participants will learn information vital to competing in an increasingly global environment:

  • How to identify and protect your company’s various intellectual property assets (trademarks, patents, copyrights, and trade secrets)
  • Mechanisms for obtaining IP protection in overseas markets and strategies for determining where to seek protection
  • How to combat counterfeits on international e-commerce sites
  • U.S. government resources available to help U.S. businesses with intellectual property issues
  • Live, in-person, step-by-step trademark recordation with U.S. Customs & Border Protection personnel (please bring a laptop)

Meetings: One-on-one meetings will be available with:

  • U.S. Department of Commerce - International Trade Administration
  • U.S. Customs & Border Protection
  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
  • U.S. Copyright Office
  • U.S. Department of Commerce - Bureau of Industry & Security


TENTATIVE AGENDA (Pacific time)

8:30-9:15 am

Registration and One-on-One sign-up

9:15-9:30 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks 

Bernadette Rojas – Director Central Valley and Coastal CA, U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration

Michelle Sara King - Intellectual Property Team Lead & Senior International Trade Specialist, Office of Standards and Intellectual Property, U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration

9:30-10:15am

Introduction to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Regional Office and a focus on Patents in the U.S. 

TBD, Silicon Valley Regional Office, United States Patent and Trademark Office 

10:15-10:30am

Break

10:30-11:00am

Copyright and Your Business's Creative Works:  How Copyright Impacts You 

George Thuronyi - Deputy Director, Office of Public Information and Education, United States Copyright Office

11:00am-11:45am

USPTO Presentation: Focus on Trademarks 

Charisma Hampton – Attorney Advisor, OPIA and United States Patent and Trademark Office 

11:45am-1:00pm

Lunch (provided) and One-on-Ones (10 min sessions) 

1:00-1:45pm

CBP’s IPR Border Enforcement Regime

TBD

1:45-2:15pm

One-on-Ones session

2:15-2:30pm

Sponsor: TBD

(note: these remarks are independent of the U.S. government and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or perspectives of the U.S. government)

2:30-2:55pm

ITA: Supporting Exporters and the STOPfakes Program

Michelle Sara King - Intellectual Property Team Lead & Senior International Trade Specialist, Office of Standards and Intellectual Property, U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration 

2:55-3:00pm

Closing Remarks

Bernadette Rojas - Director, Central Valley and Coastal CA U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration

3:00-4:00pm

One-on-One Consultations (cont’d) 

3:00-4:00pm

OPTIONAL: Get On-Site Help with the Recordation Process (40 minutes)

On-site assistance is made available by CBP staff to navigate the recordation application portal and process. Trademark recordation is $190 per international class of goods, and copyrights are $190 per application; it takes about 40 minutes. Sign-up sheet available during morning registration and throughout the day. 

For questions about this event, please email Alicia Rios:  Alicia.Rios@trade.gov, Andy Seeto:  Andy.Seeto@trade.gov, Maryanne Burke:  Maryanne.Burke@trade.gov

Thank you to our Supporting Organizations:

Center for International Trade Development

Central CA District Export Council

Central Valley Women’s Entrepreneur Center

City of Fresno Economic Development

CSU Bakersfield SBDC

Economic Development Collaborative

Fresno Native American & Business Development Center

Mission Community Services Corporation – WBC Kern County

San Joaquin Valley Manufacturing Alliance

Tulare Chamber of Commerce

Tulare County EDC

UC Merced SBDC

U.S. Small Business Administration

Valley Community SBDC - Clovis

Valley Sierra SBDC - Modesto

 



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