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Piracy, counterfeiting and the theft of intellectual property pose a serious threat to all U.S. businesses. Industry estimates of the cost of such theft range from $250 billion to 750,000 jobs per year. Small businesses often find themselves at a particular disadvantage because they often lack the resources and expertise available to larger corporations.
Small businesses also often lack the familiarity with the process of protecting their intellectual property: research conducted in Spring 2005 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) indicates that only 15 percent of small businesses that do business overseas are aware that their IP protection in the U.S. does not travel - that is, that a U.S. patent or trademark provides protection only in the United States.
To help address this problem, the USPTO has launched a nationwide program to encourage small businesses to recognize and consider the benefits of strong IP protection-both domestically and abroad. Specifically, the USPTO wants businesses to know:
- When to apply;
- What type of protection to apply for;
- Where to apply; and
- How to apply.
As part of the campaign, the USPTO has developed this Web site to help small businesses better identify and address their IP protection needs. The USPTO is also working with organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers to help spread the word about the benefits of filing for IP protection. Free informational materials, which can be downloaded from this Web site, will help guide small businesses through the often-complicated world of intellectual property protection. Finally, the USPTO is alerting small businesses to the resources being made available by placing announcements on Web sites they commonly turn to, such as entrepreneur.com and fast.com.
This program is part of a government-wide effort to curb IP crime and strengthen IP enforcement-both here at home and overseas. For example, the USPTO and other agencies within the Department of Commerce have joined with other government departments, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, in a government-wide Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) initiative, which aims to smash the criminal networks that traffic in fakes, stop trade in pirated and counterfeit goods at America's borders, block bogus goods around the world and help small businesses secure and enforce their rights in overseas markets.
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