BEACON is organizing a free workshop on Startup Law 101

Intellectual property law is a tough area to navigate, but it’s important for startups. And since fewer than one in five patents name a female entrepreneur, it’s an issue that’s of great interest to BEACON, the community-led organization to support female entrepreneurs in D.C., supported by Google, Georgetown Law, and Mayor Bowser’s office.

“IP serves as the foundation for many business operations,” BEACON fellow Deloris Wilson told Technical.ly. “and we want to make sure DC’s women entrepreneurs are best equipped to navigate this increasingly complicated space.”

BEACON decided to reach out female entrepreneurs in D.C. about their questions and concerns regarding IP law. They received back diverse responses, ranging from patent differentiation, copyright and trademark, the application process and more complicated matters concerning partnership/employee contracts and interstate sales.

In response, BEACON created Startup Law 101. The free workshop represents a coupling of “legal training with actual experiences of entrepreneurs who have made IP-errors—and had to fix their mistakes as a result,” Wilson explained.

This full day event will take place on August 23 at the Google building on Capitol Hill. It features presentations centered on patents, trade secrets, contracts, copyrights, trademarks and privacy issues. All the sessions will be facilitated by women.

You need to build a legal foundation for your startup. Attend FREE workshop to get started https://t.co/BR4a1sdkxH w/ @Google & @thebeacondc pic.twitter.com/qSLikI6LaA

— Shana Glenzer (@ShanaGlenzer) August 14, 2017

Among the various presenters, Startup Law 101 will welcome Kathi Cover, East Coast Chapter Co-Chair Vice President of law, technology and policy organization ChIPs, Stephanie Arbutryn, Senior Vice President & Chief Counsel for Litigation at HBO and Brandes Taylor, Senior Manager of Accenture Legal Group.

BEACON Board Members alongside Mayor Bowser and Deputy Mayor Kenner

A networking reception will follow the workshop, and it’s open to entrepreneurs unable to attend the workshop, attorneys and the rest of the #dctech scene.  To RSVP for only the reception, click the link here.

Wilson and BEACON know that sometimes legal questions can be tricky, but said that in a city with so many resources, there’s no reason why women entrepreneurs should have to tackle this subject alone.