September 26, 2005
#05-49
Press Release, 05-49
U.S. GOVERNMENT BRINGS ANTI-COUNTERFEITING AND PIRACY PROGRAM TO SOUTH FLORIDA
PRESS RELEASE
Efforts Focus on Small Businesses, Particularly Those Investing
In or Exporting to Latin America
Miami, Florida – U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for
Intellectual Property Jon Dudas today warned an audience of
South Florida small-businessmen and –women that they are
increasingly at risk of overseas intellectual property theft --
even if they do not export -- and urged them to consider
protective action.
In his remarks before the “Conference on the Global
Intellectual Property Marketplace,” sponsored by the
Commerce Department’s U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO), Dudas cited Florida’s export-dependant
economy—particularly those small businesses that export
to Latin America--as a major reason why businesses in the state
should make intellectual property protection in the United
States and overseas a priority business decision.
“More than 90% of Florida’s exporters are small and
medium-sized businesses. While trade allows these businesses to
enter into new markets and grow their bottom lines, it also
makes them especially vulnerable to intellectual property theft
abroad,” Dudas said. “The goal of this seminar and
other efforts by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office here in
Miami is to arm Florida’s small businesses with the
information they need to protect their intellectual property
assets in the U.S. and anywhere around the world they conduct
business.”
While counterfeiting and piracy pose a serious threat to all American businesses, small businesses are particularly at risk because they often lack the knowledge and expertise to effectively combat it. Because small businesses typically do not have personnel or maintain large operations in other countries, theft of their intellectual property overseas can go undetected.
The Miami seminar is the latest in a series the USPTO is hosting across the country to help educate American small businesses about the realities of piracy and counterfeiting. During the two-day seminar in Miami, intellectual property experts from the agency are providing attendees with details and useful tips about protecting and enforcing their intellectual property rights in the United States and around the world. Previously, USPTO seminars were held in Salt Lake City, Utah; Phoenix, Arizona; and in Austin, Texas.
The Miami seminar represents one of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s many efforts to educate small businesses about intellectual property protection. Currently, the agency is conducting a nationwide awareness campaign that is providing information to small businesses about when to file for intellectual property protection, what type of protection to file for, where to file and how to go about it. The effort features outreach targeting industry sectors especially at risk of intellectual property theft, a Web site specifically designed to address the needs of small businesses, and informational materials informing small businesses about the problem and steps they can take to mitigate it. Materials and other information about the awareness campaign are available at www.stopfakes.gov/smallbusiness .
The campaign, in turn, is part of a much larger USPTO and federal government effort. The Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) initiative, also directed at small businesses, aims to combat criminal networks that traffic in fakes, stop trade in pirated and counterfeit goods at America’s borders and help small businesses secure and enforce their rights in overseas markets. As part of the initiative, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office maintains a toll-free telephone hotline, 1-866-999-HALT, that helps businesses leverage the resources of the U.S. government to protect their intellectual property rights.
Since Miami is viewed by many to be America’s gateway to Latin America, the USPTO also placed an intellectual property attorney in Miami, Florida earlier this month to serve as an on-the-ground expert in all facets of intellectual property protection and enforcement for Latin America. USPTO’s legal expert will routinely meet with representatives from Latin American nations to advise them on intellectual property policy and provide technical training and guidance on understanding complex intellectual property issues.
For more information about the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s effort to educate American businesses about intellectual property rights, visit www.stopfakes.gov .
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