UB to Host Intellectual Property Seminar on Nov. 15

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo TCIE is hosting a new seminar for business professionals interested in learning the fundamentals of intellectual property (IP).

"Intellectual Property Breakfast Seminar: What Every Business and Technical Leader Needs to Know" will explore issues such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, licensing, patent trolls and defensive publishing.

Offered in conjunction with Executive IP, an education services provider, the program is aimed at wide array of business professionals, including executives and middle managers in research and development, sales, marketing and engineering. It is especially appropriate for innovative companies wanting to use IP forms to create a barrier to entry -- obstacles that make it difficult for competitors to enter the market.

"We believe that Western New York businesses will reap benefits if their employees understand the importance of IP and have insight into how IP is managed for the good of the company," said Timothy Leyh, UB TCIE executive director. "We're partnering with Executive IP to deliver what we believe is an important professional development training topic."

The seminar's facilitator is Executive IP President Thomas Colson, Esq., an IP lawyer and inventor of five U.S. patents.

"Our vocabulary is growing every day with new terms that intersect with intellectual property -- terms that all business and technical leaders must understand to be part of the conversation," Colson said. "We don't need to be experts. We simply need to understand the basics. We need to know just enough to reduce our risks and see opportunities."

Since the rise of the Internet, IP is at "front and center as a main component of business planning that is used to block competitors from entering new markets, extract licensing revenue from competitors and non-competitors, and generally dominate market segments," Colson said.

The seminar is scheduled from 8-10 a.m. on Nov. 15 at the Ramada Hotel & Conference Center, 2402 North Forest Rd., Amherst. For more information or to register, contact Kerry Lynch at 716-645-8840 or klynch4@buffalo.edu. Please register by Nov. 8.

TCIE is Western New York's bridge to excellence. It provides a dynamic link between UB's expert resources and the region's business community. Its core focus on operational excellence drives continuous improvement, and its engineering solutions ignite innovation and technological advancement. For more information on how TCIE can assist Western New York businesses, go to http://www.tcie.buffalo.edu or call 716-645-8800.