Build and Protect Your Brands in Foreign Markets with Intellectual Property Rights Protection

We held a globinar on building and protecting your brands in foreign markets, with use cases for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection with Chris Bennett, Attorney, Consultant & Entrepreneur at Technology-Innovation-Law LLC. Executives responsible for global expansion, marketing leaders and product managers should watch and listen.

You can catch his program on our channel HERE.

More and more global small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) are investing in building their brands by registering their trademarks. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reports a 63% increase in trademark applications as of June 17 over last year, representing 211,000 more applications reaching backlog levels. These developments, and others, indicate increasing global entrants within and outside of the US market. An increase in e-commerce during the pandemic is considered as a probable cause – in addition to other factors.

When companies enter foreign markets, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) creation and/or protection is an important investment to carefully consider. Often intellectual property is represented by the brand or trademark. That brand has value. It is an intangible asset. Like reputation, it can fluctuate based on the SMEs ability to demonstrate successful execution, in compliance with applicable law and regulation. The pieces come together as the prospect is considering whether to engage with the SME – reacting to sales + marketing, and other factors.

In the US the process is designed to promote accountability (avoiding confusion, maintaining clarity). Many SME's , including those not actively engaged in global trade and those that export "by accident" through gray markets, need to protect their brands. In "first to file" jurisdictions an otherwise innocent brand owner without IPR protection could find itself in trouble against an unscrupulous seller in the same market(s) where both are active.

Christopher focused onthe importance of IPR for small-to-medium organizations (importers and exporters) for building their brands in foreign markets by sharing “IRL” (in real life) use cases including:

• Preserving a small local retailer’s trademark rights from opposition by a $2B market cap sports franchise.
• Assisting an Asian e-commerce platform seller experiencing piracy of intellectual property.
• Representing a US national not-for-profit in protecting its brand for a new line of business
• Establishing a trademark for an Africa-based startup aspiring to expand across the continent and to obtain additional funding.

A globinar by Global Chamber® Baltimore - Washington

Mi Jeong Hibbitts - Executive Director

Keynote Speaker Biography

Chris Bennett - Attorney, Consultant & Entrepreneur at Technology-Innovation-Law (T-I-L). Chris Bennett is an MBA/JD/CPM with 30+ years of experience in general management – focused on executing the mission of his social impact startup (T-I-L®), which is to "democratize intellectual property rights for marginalized and underrepresented entrepreneurs, by making it easier and less costly to protect and to monetize their innovation".

Chris's knowledge is deep, in the areas of technology, innovation, and law, and functionally broad – across both the public and private sectors. He has a record of developing and implementing change within large and small organization(s), creating $0.5B (US) of aggregate financial value.

Chris is skilled in building innovative data and fact-driven solutions for sustainable business models.

His academic and professional education includes Degree - JD (Georgetown), MBA (Penn/Wharton), BA (MSU/JCSU); Certification - Certified Public Manager & Six-Sigma (George Washington), Energy Innovation and Emerging Technologies (Stanford), Executive Data Science (Johns Hopkins).

Chris lives in the Metro Washington DC area with life partner Jan, invests time in staying connected with three young adult kids and extended family, and enjoys performing arts, public service, and participating in extreme athletic events to raise awareness and resources for "good causes".