Protect What You Build IP Series with the USPTO

Innovation is at the heart of every successful business—but protecting your ideas is just as important as creating them. This spring, the New York Small Business Development Center (NYSBDC), in partnership with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), invites entrepreneurs, small business owners, and academics to a three-part webinar series focused on the fundamentals of intellectual property.

Whether you’re launching a new product, building a brand, or exploring ways to commercialize your ideas, this series will provide practical guidance to help you safeguard your competitive edge.

Join us to learn:

• The essentials of intellectual property and how it applies to your business
• How to file a federal trademark application—and avoid common mistakes
• The basics of patents and strategies for bringing innovations to market

Each session is designed to deliver clear, actionable insights, empowering you to make informed decisions and protect what matters most. You can register for one, two, or all three sessions.

Webinar Series: All sessions are offered at no cost as part of NYSBDC’s ongoing commitment to supporting New York’s small business community.

1. Intellectual Property Basics – 4/16, 1:30-2:30 PM

2. How to File a Federal Trademark Application and Avoid Common Pitfalls – 5/14, 12-1 PM

3. Patent Basics and Commercialization – 6/11, 12-1 PM

Register for these and other events at https://nysbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events.

Presenter(s)

Liz Jackson is currently the Acting Director of the USPTO’s Northeast Regional Outreach Office. In this role, she is responsible for stakeholder engagement and implementing the agency’s vision and goals in the northeast region. Prior to working in public engagement, Ms. Jackson was a Managing Attorney in Trademarks Operations at the USPTO. She supervised twenty-six trademark examining attorneys and ensured that her organizational unit met agency goals for processing trademark applications in a timely manner and for producing a high-quality work product. Ms. Jackson received her J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law and her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University. She is an active member in good standing of the Virginia state bar, as well as a graduate of the Partnership in Public Service’s Excellence in Government fellowship program and a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association.