Intellectual Property Discussion for Businesses Feb. 23 at UW

Two experts on intellectual property will discuss how to cost-effectively leverage those new ideas and innovations for business success Friday, Feb. 23, from 10-11:30 a.m. at the University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Technology Business Center.

Garth Rademaker, supervisory patent examiner at the Rocky Mountain Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and Karen Kitchens, state publications and intellectual property librarian for the Wyoming State Library, will participate in a roundtable conversation on how startups, small businesses, independent inventors and entrepreneurs can identify and protect intellectual property to create an organization’s value. This can be done with a well-formed strategy that includes multiple tools: patents, copyrights, trade secrets and trademarks.

The two experts also will be available for one-on-one discussions immediately following the presentation. There is no charge.

The event is sponsored by the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC) Network.

Rademaker graduated from the University of Virginia with degrees in psychology and studio art. After working for a number of years as a web designer and developer, he joined the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2005. As a patent examiner in designs, he examined applications for the designs of articles as varied as bottle openers, flowerpots and toner cartridges. In 2014, he was promoted to supervisory patent examiner, overseeing Art Unit 2911. Also, in 2014, he began working with the Patent Training Academy, where he has had a significant role in the training of all new design examiners. He joined the Rocky Mountain Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office management team in 2017 where, in addition to continuing his role with Art Unit 2911 and work with the Patent Training Academy, he regularly participates and speaks at outreach events across the region.

Kitchens has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Akron and a Master of Library Science degree from Texas Woman’s University. At the Wyoming State Library, she is primarily responsible for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Resource Center Program and the Wyoming State Publication Repository Program. She conducts basic patent- and trademark-searching education for all patrons across the state and promotes public awareness of both collections. She joined the State Library team in 2009. Before that, she worked as a reference librarian at the Laramie County Library System.

WSBDC Network programs and services are provided to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least two weeks in advance. Language assistance services for clients with limited English proficiency will be provided. For further information, call Kelly Haigler Cornish at (307) 766-2904. 

WSBDC Network is a business consulting group consisting of the Wyoming Small Business Development Center, Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Market Research Center and Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative. Its mission is to help Wyoming entrepreneurs succeed. Consulting and most market research services are free of charge to Wyoming residents. The WSBDC Network is funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Additional support is provided by the Wyoming Business Council and UW.

For further information, go to www.wyomingsbdc.org.