[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 177 (Thursday, September 14, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 43226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19488]



[[Page 43226]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 Patent and Trademark Office

[Docket No.: PTO-C-2017-0030]


Notice of Roundtable on Intellectual Property and Trade Shows

AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public roundtable.

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SUMMARY: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will 
host a roundtable discussion at its headquarters in Alexandria, 
Virginia, on October 18, 2017, on addressing intellectual property 
infringements at trade shows.

DATES: The public roundtable will be held on Wednesday, October 18, 
2017, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public roundtable will be held at the United States 
Patent and Trademark Office, Global Intellectual Property Academy, 
Madison Building (East), Second Floor, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, 
Virginia 22314. All major entrances to the building are accessible to 
people with disabilities.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the 
public meeting, please contact Peter N. Fowler or Kortney Hammonds at 
the Office of Policy and International Affairs, by telephone at (571) 
272-9300, by email at [email protected], or 
[email protected], or by postal mail addressed to: Mail Stop 
OPIA, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, 
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, ATTN: Peter Fowler or Kortney Hammonds. 
Please direct all media inquiries to the Office of the Chief 
Communications Officer, USPTO, at (571) 272-8400.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Trade shows can provide opportunities for 
both the willful and unintentional infringement of intellectual 
property rights. The transient nature of these events presents 
challenges for intellectual property rights holders to address an 
infringement, discover the infringement, take action against it, or, in 
some cases, even determine against whom to assert their legal rights.
    The USPTO is hosting a public roundtable to discuss approaches, 
strategies, and effective practices for addressing the kinds of 
infringement that most often occur at trade fairs and shows, including 
the infringement of copyright, design, patent, and trademark. Topics to 
be explored will include: How U.S. Government agencies and the courts 
can be used effectively when intellectual property rights are infringed 
at trade shows; legal measures and strategies available to rights 
holders before, during, and after a trade show; and recent and 
anticipated trends and challenges faced by rights holders and trade 
show operators. Speakers drawn from academia, civil and criminal 
litigation practice, rights holders and industry associations, and the 
U.S. Government will offer insights, observations, and experiences, on 
intellectual property infringements at trade shows. They will discuss 
how to deal with the challenges presented at trade shows, including 
legal strategies employed in removing allegedly infringing goods from a 
trade show venue.

Instructions and Information on the Public Roundtable

    The public roundtable will be held at the United States Patent and 
Trademark Office, Global Intellectual Property Academy, Madison 
Building (East), Second Floor, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia 
22314, and will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. The event will 
also be webcast and offered via interactive viewing at USPTO satellite 
offices in Dallas, Denver, Detroit, and San Jose. The agenda will be 
available a week before the meeting on the USPTO Web site, https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-policy/enforcement/intellectual-property-and-trade-shows. Registration will be available 
at the same URL. Attendees may also register at the door thirty (30) 
minutes prior to the beginning of the meeting, however seating will be 
limited to no more than 90 persons, and priority will be given to those 
who preregister. Attendees at all locations, as well as those online, 
will have an opportunity to submit questions to the speakers, which 
will be addressed, time permitting, during the question and answer 
period of each panel session.
    The public roundtable will be physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Individuals requiring accommodation, such as sign 
language interpretation or other ancillary aids, should communicate 
their needs to Kortney Hammonds in the Office of Policy and 
International Affairs, by telephone at (571) 272-1500, by email at 
[email protected], or by postal mail addressed to: Mail Stop 
OPIA, United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, 
Alexandria, VA 22313-1450, ATTN: Kortney Hammonds, at least seven (7) 
business days prior to the date of the public roundtable.

    Dated: September 8, 2017.
Joseph Matal,
Performing the Functions and Duties of the Under Secretary of Commerce 
for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and 
Trademark Office.
[FR Doc. 2017-19488 Filed 9-13-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-16-P