US Patent and Trademark Office Meets MSMEs and Startups Session Held

• A session was held recently on 10th May 2022; organized by iSocial Limited and facilitated by Turtle Venture- regarding patents and trademarks for MSMEs and startups.

• John Cabeca discussed in detail on Intellectual property rights and startups, specifically how coherent and relevant it is in today’s Bangladeshi landscape.

• The role of the patent system, the fact that IP strategy is a business strategy, methods of developing a strategy, and the determination of the type of IP protection a business might need was discussed in-depth.

A recent session was organized by iSocial and facilitated by Turtle Venture. The session- US Patent and Trademark office meets MSMEs and startups, commenced on 10th May 2022. The session discussed the importance of patents and trademarks for MSMEs and startups. 

US Patent and Trademark Office Meets MSMEs and Startups Session Held

The session was graced by the presence of honored speakers, and startup and business owners. The session started with the registration of the participants and pleasantries. Founders of Shapla, Vertical Innovation, Leisfita, Tahoor, and many more attended the event. 

Speakers for This Session

Dr. Ananya Raihan- CEO, iSocial Limited

John Cabeca- United States Intelectual Property Counselor for South Asia 

Shilpi Jha- Senior Commercial Specialist and IP Policy Lead- South Asia and USPTO

Saraban Turin- Founder, Turtle Venture

Welcome remarks were provided by Dr. Ananya Raihan, the CEO of iSocial. He provided an introduction to patents and trademarks. He also stated how it is relevant to the Bangladeshi landscape today. Then John Cabeca discussed in detail on Intellectual property rights and startups, specifically how coherent and relevant it is in today’s Bangladeshi landscape. 

The discussion continued regarding the Intellectual property attache program. Topics like policy advocacy and capacity building came up. The agendas included improving IP policies, laws, and regulations. 

Coordination of resolving issues with foreign government officials, presenting and explaining IP law and policy, helping to secure high-quality IP provisions in international agreements and hosting country laws, and monitoring their implementation and application of these laws and regulations. 

The role of the patent system, the fact that IP strategy is a business strategy, methods of developing a strategy, and the determination of the type of IP protection a business might need. The discussion included types of intellectual properties,  trademarks, and patents. The risk of disclosure and in-depth explanation of the reasons for accumulating them were also explained to the participants. 

With concluding remarks from Anowar Sayef Anik, the CSO of Turtle Venture thanked the USPTO for conducting such an informative and helpful session. Lastly, with a networking tea and snacks segment, the session came to an end.

(Written by Saiyara Mahjabin)