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 company. Please check this link to verify small business size thresholds. Complimentary 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
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Registration and One-on-One sign-up
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9:15-9:30 am
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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
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9:30-10:15am
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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
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10:15-10:30am
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Break
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10:30-11:00am
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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
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11:00am-11:45am
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USPTO Presentation: Focus on Trademarks
Charisma Hampton – Attorney Advisor, OPIA and United States Patent and Trademark Office
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11:45am-1:00pm
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Lunch (provided) and One-on-Ones (10 min sessions)
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1:00-1:45pm
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CBP’s IPR Border Enforcement Regime
TBD
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1:45-2:15pm
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One-on-Ones session
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2:15-2:30pm
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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)
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2:30-2:55pm
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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
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2:55-3:00pm
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Closing Remarks
Bernadette Rojas - Director, Central Valley and Coastal CA U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration
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3:00-4:00pm
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One-on-One Consultations (cont’d)
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3:00-4:00pm
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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.
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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
