The IP for the People (IP4P) Webinar Series for Grassroots Intellectual Property Awareness
IP for the People is a FREE digital, webinar series for creators, inventors, and entrepreneurs from communities of color who have historically and continually been locked out of receiving key knowledge and resources related to protecting and profiting from their ideas.
About the Webinar Series
The IP for the People (IP4P) Webinar Series for Grassroots Intellectual Property Awareness is a mostly virtual educational hub presenting short live sessions throughout the year on IP topics. This free, online series offers easy to digest and engaging talks on IP rights and navigating the IP system, highlighting tips and resources via live webinars and an on-demand video series. Each online webinar features guest presenter(s) sharing their subject matter expertise with a presentation, professional & educational resources, as well as a segment for Q&A from the audience.
Your IP Questions — Answered.
IP4P’s On-Demand library is stacked full of content if you’re looking for answers to your IP questions but don’t where to begin.
Upcoming Sessions
January 15, 2025 | Avoiding Pitfalls in the Trademark Application Process: Advice from a Former Trademark Examining Attorney
Time: 7:00PM ET
Moderator: TBD
Webinar Presenter:
Lauren E. Burke, Esq., LLM, Senior Trademark Counsel, Jordan IP Law, LLC
Session Description:
During this webinar participants will learn about common mistakes made in the trademark application process and how applications are examined at the USPTO. Includes audience Q&A.
Fall 2024-Spring 2025 Sessions
September 24, 2024 | 7:30PM ET
Session Co-hosted by Paul Hastings
Moderators:
Noah Hill, Southern University Law Center
Karan Dhadialla, Baker Botts
Webinar Presenters:
Dwana Dixon, Amazon
Jeong Ah Joy Lee, Cisco
Nikki Qi, Pinterest
Session Description:
During this webinar participants will learn about important IP information for entrepreneurs and why IP is so important to building a business.
November 14, 2024 | 7:00PM ET
Moderator:
Marnitia Walker, Southern University Law Center
Webinar Presenters:
Lawrence Cosby, J.P. Morgan
Clinton Mitchell, Diplomatic Enterprises, LLC
Session Description:
During this webinar participants will learn about innovation and IP, and further, how to monetize ideas, even without seeking patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
Fall 2023-Spring 2024 Sessions
October 12, 2023 | 7PM ET
Webinar Presenters:
USPTO Deputy Director Derrick Brent
Jason Lott, Managing Attorney for Trademarks Customer Outreach
Session Description:
Join us for a discussion about what all entrepreneurs, small businesses, and start-ups should know about trademarks. We’ll discuss what trademarks are, the benefits of federal trademark registration, and the basics of the registration process. We’ll also talk about why it’s so important for any new business to select a trademark that is both federally registrable and legally protectable. We’ll close out the discussion with a question-and-answer session and direct you to free resources from the USPTO.
View the full session video:
October 18, 2023 | 7PM ET
Moderator: Quinn Hendricks, Student, University of Miami School of Law
Webinar Presenters:
Jennifer Cheng, CEO and Founder, PTM Therapeutics
David Flechner, Partner, Allen & Overy
Keith Spence, Partner, Johnson & Oshan Law
Session Description:
Got an idea? Want to turn that idea into a company? During this 1 hour webinar, participants will learn about:
- Types of Business Entities: Sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation – what’s the difference and why does it matter?
- Jurisdiction/Where to register your entity: Does it really have to be Delaware?
- Funding/Capitalization: I have a co-founder and some other folks are helping us grow. How should we split up the pie?
- Entity Rules and Requirements/Corporate Governance: I formed an entity. What else do I need to know?
View the full session video:
November 13, 2023 | 7PM ET
Webinar Presenters:
Katie Mladinich, Grail
Shayne O’Reilly, Meta
Diana Santos, IBM
Session Description:
Running Your Business: You’ve heard that contracts are important. What are the issues you should be aware of?
During this 1 hour webinar, participants will learn about:
- Employment agreements
- Joint venture agreements with universities
- Third party agreements
- Open source agreements
View the full session video:
December 5, 2023 | 7PM ET
Moderator: Chitrajit Chandrashekar
Webinar Presenters:
Wifredo Fernandez
Lata Setty
Michael Ladipo
Session Description:
Now that you have a company, how do you raise the capital to run it? During this 1 hour webinar, participants will learn about:
- Sources of Funding: We are going to be a wild success. Where do I get capital to take us there?
- Funding Instruments: People want to invest! What does that look like?
- Development Programs: How can I get thoughtful support and meaningful capital?
- Investment Terms: We’ve decided on the appropriate form of funding. What are the key terms that investors will want in exchange?
- Due Diligence: I want to be prepared once we have a signed term sheet. What can I do now to facilitate a smooth and efficient due diligence process?
View the full session video:
January 30, 2024 | 7PM ET
Webinar Presenter:
Victor Wang, Director, Cardozo / Google Patent Diversity Project; Interim Director, Tech Start Up Clinic; Visiting Clinic Professor of Law – Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Session Description:
During this 1 hour webinar participants will learn what to expect when filing patent and trademark applications with the USPTO, including examples/stories from people who went through the process.
View the full session video:
February 20, 2024 | 7PM ET
Webinar Presenter:
Dr. Russ Barnes, Colonel, USAF (ret.), PhD., Business Strategist, Executives and Entrepreneurs, Systro Solutions
Session Description:
During this 1 hour webinar participants will learn strategy development for establishing your small business to bring your invention to market.
View the full session video:
Fall 2022-Spring 2023 Sessions
Session co-sponsored by:
September 29, 2022 | 7PM ET
Session Description:
During this 1 hour webinar, we provided:
- an explanation of what intellectual property rights are;
- real-world examples of how they come up in your business ideas and creative processes;
- an interview with an author that will share how she learned more about IP law and how that has helped her;
- resources for more information, including how to get free or low cost legal help; and
- time for questions.
View the full session video:
October 25, 2022 | 7PM ET
Webinar Presenter:
Victor Wang, Director, Cardozo / Google Patent Diversity Project; Interim Director, Tech Start Up Clinic; Visiting Clinic Professor of Law – Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Session Description:
During this 1 hour webinar, we provided:
- patent law basics; and;
- patent strategy for entrepreneurs.
View the full session video:
November 17, 2022 | 7PM ET
Webinar Presenters:
Devon Grant, Senior Patent Counsel at Visa
L. Scott Burwell, Partner at Finnegan Henderson
Ayana Marshall, Patent Data Analyst at Harrity LLP
David Pointer, Partner at Thomas Horstemeyer
Session Description:
During this 1 hour webinar, participants heard from individuals with engineering backgrounds that have built careers in patent law. In addition, participants learned of resources to help them pursue opportunities in patent law.
View the full session video:
February 8, 2023 | 7PM ET
Session Description:
Tune in to hear students from Howard University Law School provide information for student athletes about intellectual property. In particular, presenters will discuss publicity rights, which include name, image, and likeness followed by a Q&A session.
For more information on this topic, check out our webpage: Student Athlete Name Image Likeness
April 26, 2023 | 7PM ET
Webinar Presenters:
Shreyanka Mirchandani Changaroth, Wikimedia Race and Knowledge Equity Fellow, IIPSJ
Kim Tignor, Executive Director, IIPSJ
Lita Rosario-Richardson, Income Shareholder, Shulman Rogers
Crystal Waters, House Music Icon
Session Description:
During this 1 hour webinar, participants:
- Learned about intellectual property in creative work, especially in the field of arts and entertainment, and including digital content;
- Gained a deeper understanding of copyright issues surrounding creative work and publicity rights relating to their image; and
- Received real-world insight from a panel of experts and creators.
View the full session video:
May 23, 2023 | 7PM ET
Moderators:
Lisa Nguyen, Partner, Allen & Overy
Leeandria Williams, Legal Intern, IIPSJ
Webinar Presenters:
Micheal Binns, Associate General Counsel and Head of Patent Portfolio Strategy (Family of Apps) and IP Trade Secret Protection, Meta
Danielle Coleman, Senior Director and Associate General Counsel, Global Litigation, VMware
Jessica Thomson, Patent Counsel, The Walt Disney Company
Session Description:
During this 1 hour session, participants learned:
- IP must-haves when you are building your business
- Strategies to protect the core of your business with limited capital
- Turning your IP into a product
- Protecting your IP when you are pitching to investors
View the full session video:
Thank you to our Webinar Presenters!
Guest Presenters
Victor Wang
Director, Cardozo/Google Patent Diversity Project & Acting Director, Tech Startup Clinic
Cardozo School of Law
Presented: Fall 2022 – Patent Law for Engineers
Devon Grant
Senior Patent Counsel
Visa
Presented: Fall 2022 – Careers in Patent Law for Engineers
Scott Burwell
Partner
Finnegan Henderson
Presented: Fall 2022 – Careers in Patent Law for Engineers
Ayana Marshall
Patent Data Analyst
Harrity LLP
Presented: Fall 2022 – Careers in Patent Law for Engineers
David Pointer
Partner
Thomas Horstemeyer
Presented: Fall 2022 – Careers in Patent Law for Engineers
Lita Rosario-Richardson
Income Shareholder
Shulman Rogers
Presented: Spring 2023 – IP Basics for Creators
Crystal Waters
House Music Icon
Presented: Spring 2023 – IP Basics for Creators
Micheal Binns
Associate General Counsel and Head of Patent Portfolio Strategy (Family of Apps) and IP Trade Secret Protection
Meta
Presented: Spring 2023 – Intellectual Property (IP) for Entrepreneurs
Danielle Coleman
Senior Director and Associate General Counsel, Global Litigation
VMware
Presented: Spring 2023 – Intellectual Property (IP) for Entrepreneurs
Jessica Thomson
Patent Counsel
The Walt Disney Company
Presented: Spring 2023 – Intellectual Property (IP) for Entrepreneurs
IIPSJ Institutional Partners
