The Intellectual Property Special Interest Group mission is to create a forum to inform and engage minority engineers and scientists to pursue and excel in the substantive field of IP, with the goal of increasing diversity and enriching the IP community as a whole. The IP SIG will provide its members with the support that they need and develop a road-map for NSBE members, allowing engineers to realize the many benefits and opportunities that are available in the field of IP.
Goals
The IP SIG will work closely with NSBE, as well as other professional organizations (e.g., the National Bar Association), to provide a variety of benefits and opportunities for its members. Throughout the year it provides its members with tailored and relevant content and resources ranging from mentorship to financial support. Specifically, some of the benefits include:
- educating and encouraging, minority engineers to pursue careers in IP law;
- supporting the efforts of minority engineers to excel in the field of IP law;
- infusing diversity and enriching the IP community as a whole;
- engaging and procuring sponsorship opportunities from law firms and corporations to support NSBE members pursuing careers in IP law;
- providing specialized IP training courses to help engineers seamlessly transition into the patent prosecution industry by leveraging their current skills and vast expertise; and
- assisting in career development by providing exposure to opportunities at law firms, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, start ups and at fortune five hundred corporations.
The IP SIG will also serve to bring members up-to-date information on the development of IP law in the career market place, following and reporting significant changes in the laws both global and domestic relating to patents, copyrights, and trade secrets; this is done through a combination of yearly newsletters, e-mail alerts, sponsorship of panel programs, the hosting of a reception at the NSBE annual meeting, co-sponsorship of conferences, and invitations to group members to comment and participate in meetings or initiatives relating to the IP industry.