The U.S. Department of Commerce’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will once again host its annual National Trademark Expo on Friday, October 19th, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday, October 20, 2012, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. at the USPTO’s headquarters in Alexandria, VA.
This event advances the agency’s mission in educating the public about trademarks and the value of intellectual property in the global marketplace. The event will highlight the importance of trademarks through educational seminars, exhibits, displays of authentic and counterfeit goods, and costumed characters featuring registered trademarks. There will also be numerous exhibitors from the U.S. government, non-profits, and corporations — each showcasing their federally-registered trademarks and providing valuable information about trademarks. Some exhibitors include NASCAR, Mattel, GEICO and NASA. A full list of Exhibitors can be found below.

The event is free and open to the public. No registration is required. Additional information about the Trademark Expo can be found on the USPTO website at www.uspto.gov/TMexpo.

The schedule of the educational seminars is as follows:

Friday, October 19, 2012
11 a.m. What Every Small Business Must Know About Intellectual Property
12 p.m. Trademarks 101
1 p.m. USPTO Website: An Overview of Online Tools and Resources
2 p.m. Trademark Application Filing and Registration Process
3 p.m. Common Mistakes to Avoid When Filing for Trademark Registration
4 p.m. Respecting the Indian Brand: Native American Art and Imitation

Saturday, October 20, 2012
10 a.m. What Every Small Business Must Know About Intellectual Property
11 a.m. Trademarks 101
12 p.m. USPTO Website: An Overview of Online Tools and Resources
1 p.m. Trademark Application Filing and Registration Process
2 p.m. Common Mistakes to Avoid When Filing for Trademark Registration
3 p.m. Counterfeiting and Piracy – Why Buy “Legit”?

The list of exhibitors includes:

5-hour ENERGY
1000 Cranes, LLC
ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law
AIPLA, Creativity in Bloom
American Girl
The American National Red Cross
Caterpillar Inc.
CMG
Cricket Wireless
Department of the Army
GEICO
Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital
The Hershey Company
HiT Entertainment
Hooray for Books!
Idaho Potato Commission
Indian Arts and Crafts Board
International Trademark Association (Unreal Campaign)
Mattel
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
NASCAR, Inc.
NBC Learn
NumbersAlive!
The Pepsom Group
Rita’s Ice, Custard, Happiness
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Travelers
Under Armour
United States Air Force
UPS
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Government IPR Agencies: Department of Commerce, National IPR Coordination Center, and Customs and Border Protection
Valvoline
Wormwatcher
Zipcar