Online service is designed to help manufacturers, small businesses, entrepreneurs and independent inventors
Feb. 25, 2013
Washington — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) today unveiled an updated beta version of the web-based IP
Awareness Assessment Tool, which is designed to help manufacturers, small businesses, entrepreneurs and independent
inventors easily assess their knowledge of intellectual property (IP).
“This Administration knows that American entrepreneurs have always focused on the next great idea that will grow our economy,
create jobs and drive U.S. global competition,” said Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director
of the USPTO Teresa Stanek Rea. “The IP Awareness Assessment Tool will help educate independent inventors and small
businesses on the intellectual property protections available to them as they seek to turn their ideas into reality and bring them to
market.
Intellectual property is a key concern of many small businesses owners who often do not know the extent of their IP assets. By
assessing their need for IP protection and exercising the rights they hold to their innovations, businesses often secure significant
competitive advantages.
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