PTO Announces U.S. Government-Wide IP Training Database

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in cooperation with the Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC), today announced the launch of a new online database where U.S. government agencies are now posting information about the intellectual property rights (IPR) training programs they conduct around the world.

The Global Intellectual Property Education: Training Program Database was a product of the 2010 Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement. The Strategic Plan called for the creation of a central database in which agencies that conduct international intellectual property enforcement training could deposit training materials to promote greater coordination and avoid duplication of resources.

“The database is intended to facilitate more efficient use of limited IPR training resources by sharing training materials among U.S. government agencies, avoiding duplicative programs, and identifying IPR enforcement training deficiencies,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos.

The USPTO, working closely with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other agencies that conduct international enforcement training, has established the database for storing and sharing training materials among federal agencies. The database is fully searchable and includes each program’s title, location, description, participants by country, background, and more. It also allows agencies to post attachments, training materials and information describing their program.

“We expect this database will permit agencies to enhance the impact of their IPR training, by building on past programs and targeting U.S. government efforts on countries and topics where more training is needed,” said U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel. “Moreover, the database will increase transparency, by allowing the public to see how the U.S. government is allocating resources on IPR training.”

Already, U.S. government agencies that conduct IPR enforcement training have posted information on past activities going back to October 2010. To date, more than 100 training and technical assistance programs that relate to protecting intellectual property rights have been entered into the database. Agencies will continue to provide the latest information on their training programs and upcoming events as they are planned.