Vote for our PanelPicker® sessions August 5-23!
We need your PanelPicker votes to ensure intellectual property (IP) is part of the SXSW conversation. From August 5-23, 2019, you can vote for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) 2020 PanelPicker session proposals. Make sure you leave comments about what you’d like us to talk about, and share the details about the panels with friends.
You can vote for more than one panel, and you can vote even if you don’t plan to attend SXSW personally. SXSW crowdsources conference programming through the PanelPicker platform, and community voting counts for 30% of the panel selection decisions.
SXSW is a prime opportunity for the USPTO to highlight the importance of protecting intellectual property. Let SXSW know how vital IP protection is by voting for our four panels today!
How to cast your vote:
- Create a free SXSW account
- Vote for the USPTO's panels
- Leave comments or questions for us on the panel page
- Join the conversation on social media with #USPTOatSXSW
Patents & business: begin with nothing but an idea
The good news is you have an idea for the next big thing. The bad news is all you have is an idea. What resources and skills do you really need to bring your ideas to life? How do you create a business out of intellectual property? Can you launch a business while working your day job? Representatives from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Small Business Administration will present and discuss resources and services aimed at single inventors, micro entities, and small businesses.
Panelists:
- Amy and Adam Fazackerley, Lay-n-Go LLC
- Nathanya Ferguson, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Tom Sullivan, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
IP to IPO: Investing in and protecting your IP
You’ve got a patent or a trademark, now what? How do you protect your intellectual property? How can you leverage your patent to grow your business? How have other entrepreneurs dealt with IP issues? Rocky Mountain Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Molly Kocialski, and inventor entreprenuers Fred Ruckel and Lindsey Laurain, will discuss the journey from obtaining intellectual property rights to leading and growing a successful business.
Panelists:
IP and R&D: The future of defense and innovation
Is innovation the silver bullet to secure military strength and economic security? Why should the military care about disruptive innovation? Since the revolutionary war, the U.S. military has a long history of leading innovation. Texas Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Hope Shimabuku and Jay Harrison from Army Futures Command will discuss the crucial role of invention for the United States, and explore technology transfer and civil-military tech collaborations.
Panelists:
- Arthur Daemmrich, Ph.D., Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Smithsonian Institution
- Jay Harrison, Army Futures Command (AFC)
- Paul Rosenthal, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Mind the Gap: Strengthening the innovation ecosystem for women
How do we achieve gender parity in STEM fields, particularly when it comes to invention and innovation? The number of women in science and engineering classes and workplaces is growing, yet men continue to outnumber women at the top levels of science, innovation, and invention. Employers, educational institutions and other organizations strive to correct the gender imbalance in STEM and innovation, but where does the discrepancy between men and women in innovation come from, and what can be done to change it? Representatives from government, education, industry, and non-profit organizations will discuss what’s working and what needs to change to support women in the innovation ecosystem.
Panelists:
- Jayme Cellitioci, National Inventors Hall of Fame
- Lisa DeLuca, IBM
- Linda Hosler, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Ingrid Vandervelt, Empowering a Billion Women by 2020
About SXSW
The annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference in Austin, Texas, provides an opportunity for global professionals at every level to participate, network, and discuss economic and cultural issues. The wide range of participating individuals and organizations have one thing in common: they all work with intellectual property (IP).