Last night, the New Year New Business open house event hosted at CEI by Traklight and AZBIA was a smashing success. Arizona has a wealth of incredibly rich resources that can help you get your idea off the ground. The event proved to be a great educational evening for not just the entrepreneurs and small business owners who attended (or watched the livestream), but for myself as well! That being said, I wanted to recap a couple of key points I found helpful (and hope you do too!)…
- Russ Yelton (President and CEO of NACET) & Joann McMaster (President of AZBIA), discussed some wonderful AZBIA resources that are definitely worth looking into whether you’re just starting out, or want to stay up to date in the ever-changing world of entrepreneurs.
- Mary Juetten (Founder and CEO of Traklight) emphasized making sure you have a strategy is a key to protecting you IP; any my favorite, regarding infringing on anothers’ IP, “If there’s a bike without a lock, it doesn’t mean you can take off with it!â€
- Juliet Peters (Founding Parter of Becker Peters, PLLC) discussed, with great enthusiasm, a wide range of topics from working with co-founders, to outsourcing/in-house developments, to advisory boards, even providing a few online resources at the end of her presentation (so check out the slides!)
- Ron Kisicki (registered Patent Attorney and Partner with Woods Oviatt Gilman, LLP) briefly reviewed the provisional patent process, emphasizing that “the goal is to get the stake in the ground to be the first to file†and that “the date you publically disclose in the U.S. is the starting point for the filing grace period (1 year).
- Ruth Carter (Owner and Attorney of Carter Law Firm, PLLC) clarified the difference between something that is trademarked, and something that is registered. In layman’s terms, a trademark means the company hasn’t registered the trademark, they’re just notifying you they want it. And registered means they have exclusive rights. According to Ruth, it means “don’t even think about using it or I will lay the smack down on you!â€
Still not sure that IP is an important step when planning your startup? We hope to change your mind! If you weren’t able to attend the event last night, we did record the speakers, so the following live stream recording is a great place to start!
Additionally, the following two videos are sure to get you in the mood to ID your IP!
- Demystifying IP – learn more about why IP is important
- 4 Tyes of IP – distinguishing the differences between trademarks, patents, trade secrets, and copyrights
And if you’re looking for the perfect place to open up shop, check out AZBIA’s website for more information on incubators, accelorators, and networking spaces that might be just the right fit for you.
It’s a new year, and the perfect time to get your new business going strong. We hope you make the most of these resources; you may also find the resources on our IP Cloud helpful as well! And best of luck!