UW Webinar Explores What Intellectual Property Knowledge Startups Need to Know

If you currently own a business or have a future business venture in mind, you need to understand how to protect inventions, brands, software and product designs. 

A webinar, titled “What Every Startup Needs to Know About Intellectual Property,” will be presented by the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Thursday, March 2, 2-3 p.m. 

The SBDC is a partnership among the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Business Council and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBDC focuses on educating small-business owners and potential owners on how to successfully start and operate small businesses. The SBDC’s main office is located at UW.

Intellectual property can be defined as a work or invention that is the result of creativity -- such as a manuscript, log or invention -- to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc. Even your company’s trade name and website domain name are important parts of your intellectual property strategy. Not only will protecting what you create deter competitors, but intellectual property protection also will make your company more attractive to capital investment. 

Toni Tease, a registered patent attorney, will host the webinar. Her presentation will provide startup businesses with valuable information about various types of intellectual property protection, including patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. 

Tease practices intellectual property and technology law. Prior to forming her own law firm in 2003, Tease was general counsel for Rocky Mountain Technology Group Inc., a software development company with worldwide headquarters in Billings, Mont. Previously, she was associated with several large law firms.

The registration fee is $15, and attendees can register at www.wyomingsbdc.org.

Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least two weeks in advance. For more information or to pay by check, call Peggy Baker at 1-800-348-5194.  

The Wyoming SBDC Network is a business advising group of the Wyoming SBDC, Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Market Research Center and SBIR/STTR Initiative. The network’s mission is to help Wyoming entrepreneurs succeed. Advising and most market research activities are free of charge to Wyoming residents.

The SBDC is funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA. Additional support is provided by the Wyoming Business Council and UW.

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