Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017

Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017

This bill directs the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to enter into a partnership agreement to:

• develop high-quality training for small business concerns related to domestic and international protection of intellectual property and how such protections should be considered in small business concerns' business plans and growth strategies, and
• leverage existing training materials already developed to educate inventors and small business concerns.

Such training may be provided by the SBA, the USPTO, or SBA development centers (SBDCs): (1) through electronic resources, including Internet-based webinars, and (2) at physical locations, including an SBDC or the headquarters or regional office of the USPTO.

The bill amends the Small Business Act to require services at an SBDC to include training, developed by the SBA and the USPTO, in person or through a website relating to: (1) domestic and international intellectual property protections, and (2) how such protections should be considered in the business plans and growth strategies of small business concerns.