Category: Blake’s Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights

Resources for Inventors

As many of you know I am the speaker chair for the Inventors Association of Connecticut (IACT), an inventor’s group located here in Connecticut.   The president of our group Doug Lyon has prepared a list of resources for inventors, and I have decided to share them here.

State & Economic Development Agencies

DECD (Department of Economic and Community Development)      Economic development initiatives and state-level funding.       http://www.ct.gov/ecd/

­

Connecticut Innovations (CI)      State-backed VC fund supporting startups with equity, loans, and tax credits.       https://ctinnovations.com/

­

CTNext      A subsidiary of CI focused on innovation grants, including SBIR support and Innovation Places.       https://ctnext.com/

­

AdvanceCT      Promotes economic growth in CT; offers a business support catalog and site-finder.       https://www.advancect.org/

­

CT APEX (formerly PTAC)      Government contract support for small businesses in CT.       https://ctptac.org/

­

SCORE Connecticut      Free small business mentoring and workshops.       https://www.score.org/

­

Startup Support & Accelerator Programs

­

ABCT (Accelerator for Biosciences in CT)      Accelerator for early-stage bioscience ventures.       https://abct.co/

­

YEI (Yale Entrepreneurial Institute)      Yale’s startup accelerator and funding resource.       http://yei.yale.edu/

­

Entrepreneurship Foundation      Offers mentorship and educational programs.       https://entrepreneurshipfoundation.org/

­

Valley Venture Mentors (VVM)      Startup support and prize funding (up to $250K).       https://valleyventurementors.org/

­

RESET Hartford      Workshops, shared space, accelerator program, and funding opportunities.       https://www.resetco.org/

­

Univ. of Hartford Entrepreneur Center      Free advising and student consulting for startups.       https://www.hartford.edu/barney/about/centers-and-institutes/entrepreneurial-center/

­

Inventor & Innovation Resources

­

IACT (Inventors Association of CT)      Inventor community and support network.       http://www.inventus.org/

­

UConn IP Law Clinic      Free IP legal services for qualified entrepreneurs.       https://law.uconn.edu/…/intellectual-property-entrepreneurship-law-clinic/

­

UConn Technology Commercialization Services      Incubator and startup services for university-affiliated ventures.       http://research.uconn.edu/…/incubator-services/

­

UConn Patent Clinic      Assists in navigating patent law for startups and researchers.       https://law.uconn.edu/…/intellectual-property-entrepreneurship-law-clinic/

­

Funding Programs & Financial Support

­

SBIR/STTR Programs      Federal non-dilutive funding for innovative small businesses.       https://www.sbir.gov/ | https://ctnext.com/sbir-sttr-intake-form-2024/

­

Angel Investor Forum      Group of CT-based angel investors funding early-stage ventures.       http://www.angelinvestorforum.com/

­

Manufacturing Innovation Fund      DECD-backed grants for manufacturing startups.       https://portal.ct.gov/…/Manufacturing-Innovation-Fund

­

CT Small Business Boost Fund      Flexible working capital loans.       https://ctsmallbusinessboostfund.org/

­

WBDC Equity Match Grant Program      Funding for women-owned small businesses.       https://ctwbdc.org/equity-match-grant-program/

­

HEDCO Loan Programs      Loans, including purchase order financing.       https://www.hedcoinc.com/

­

Angel Investor Tax Credit Programs      Tax credits for individuals investing in CT startups (including cannabis).       https://ctinnovations.com/…/angel-investor-tax-credit-program/

­

Crowdfunding via Patronicity      Community-matched funding.       https://www.patronicity.com/sustainablect

­

CleanTech Open Northeast      Pitch competitions and accelerator for cleantech startups.       https://www.cleantechopen.org/

­

Tech, Manufacturing & Climate Resources

­

CCAT (CT Center for Advanced Technology)      Manufacturing assessments, prototyping, and innovation support.       https://www.ccat.us/

­

CONNSTEP      Lean manufacturing, quality systems, and advanced technology support.       https://www.connstep.org/

­

FORGE      Supports physical product development and scaling.       https://forgemass.org/

­

ClimateHaven      Climate tech incubator in New Haven.       https://www.climatehaven.tech/

­

Future Climate Venture Studio      Climate-related startup accelerator.       https://www.futureclimateventurestudio.com/

­

Maker & Co-working Spaces

­

MakeHaven (New Haven)      Maker space with tools and workshops.       https://www.makehaven.org/

­

The District (New Haven)      Innovation campus and co-working community.       https://www.districtnhv.com/

­

B-Hive (Bridgeport)      Co-working and startup space.       www.bhivebridgeport.com

­

Bridgeport Innovation Center      Affordable offices for growing businesses.       www.bridgeportinnovationcenter.com

­

Danbury Hackerspace      Collaborative makerspace and incubator.       www.danburyhackerspace.com

­

Hamden Business Incubator      Startup and small business space.       http://www.hamdeneconomicdevelopment.org/…

­

HubCap (Wallingford)      Co-working and entrepreneurial hub.       http://www.hubcapwallingford.com/

­

Colodesk (Shared Office)      Coworking and business development services.       www.colodesk.com

­

Comradity (Stamford)      Strategy studio and innovation coworking.       www.comradity.net/content

­

MakerspaceCT (Hartford)      Largest makerspace in the state.       https://makerspacect.com/

­

CT Hackerspace (Watertown)      Tech-focused makerspace and community.       www.cthackerspace.com

­

NESIT (Meriden)      Nonprofit hackerspace for technology and crafts.       http://nesit.org

­

Makers Guild (Fairfield County)      Youth and adult STEAM education & prototyping.       http://makersguildfc.com

­

Export, Diversity & Equity Resources

­

Naval & Maritime Consortium      Maritime sector business support.       https://www.nmconsortium.com/

­

CT Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC)      Women-focused business training and funding.       https://ctwbdc.org/

­

KNOWNPreneurs      Accelerator for BIPOC founders.       https://www.nhvknown.com/knownpreneurs/

­

Collab New Haven      Mentorship and startup support for underrepresented founders.       https://collabnewhaven.org/

­

U.S. Department of Commerce      Resources for international trade and exporting.       https://www.trade.gov/

I just requested a new Patent Pro Bono case!

I am happy to announce that I just requested a second patent pro bono matter from the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts organization (VLA).   I like to give back to the community at large, and providing pro bono patent, trademark, and copyright legal services is one way I can do that.

VLA is the leading legal aid and education organization dedicated to New York artists and its arts and cultural organizations. VLA strives to protect the artistic community’s livelihoods, businesses, and creative works through access to dedicated legal representation and focused education programs.  For more information on the VLA please go here.

 

 

National Association of Patent Practitioners Mentorship Program

I just had a great mentorship meeting with a newly patent agent via the National Association of Patent Practitioner’s Mentorship Program.

The NAPP Mentorship Program is an initiative designed to connect experienced patent practitioners with those looking to learn and grow in the field. Whether you are seeking guidance as a mentee or looking to share your expertise as a mentor, this program offers a unique opportunity for professional development and meaningful connection.

More information can be found here.

I attended the Connecticut Bar Assocation Connecticut Legal Conference this past Friday!

I had a great time meeting lawyers and seeing lawyers I already know at the Connecticut Legal Conference (CLC) on Friday June 13, 2025.  The CLC is the CBA’s preeminent event comprised of dozens of engaging CLE seminars covering a diverse range of topics in state and federal law. The day also includes an exhibitor showcase featuring over 35 distinguished services and businesses and the CBA Annual Meeting and Luncheon, which features prestigious Connecticut-based and national speakers as well as the installation of the CBA executive committee officers for the approaching bar year.  I am in the far right in the below picture.  The 150 in the picture means that the CBA is celebrating its 150 year anniversary!

Terrific Inventors Association of Connecticut meeting at the Milford Library this week!

This past Wednesday, May 28, 2025, I presented on What Inventors Need to Know about Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights to the Inventors Association of Connecticut (IACT).   The attendees, mostly inventors, asked very good questions about patents, trademarks and copyrights.   Great group and great meeting!  The next IACT meeting will be June 25, 2025 at 5:30 pm at the Milford Public Library.   More information can be seen here.

Presentation on What Inventors should know about Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights, 5-28-2025 at the Milford Public Library

Are you an inventor, do you know an inventor, do you wish you were an inventor, do you have questions about patents, trademarks or copyrights?

If so, then please come to the Inventors Association of Connecticut ‘s (IACT) presentation on Wednesday May 28, 2025, 5:30 pm, at the Milford Public Library–Program Room.  Registered patent attorney Michael A. Blake will be presenting on What Inventors Should Know about Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights.  More information can be found here.  Information on IACT can be found here.

The Inventors Association of Connecticut will be holding its monthly meeting tonight at the Milford Library

The Inventors Association of Connecticut (IACT) will be holding a meeting tonight at 5:30 pm at the Milford Library.   It is open to the public.  Tonight, David Masa will be presenting.   Mr. Maass will provide an overview of Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D Printing. First introduced about 30 years ago, AM has steadily grown at a compound annual rate of 25% ever since and is now an $18 BB industry. What started as a way to make rapid prototypes from polymers (plastics) now includes a wide range of materials including metals, ceramics, food and even human tissue and organs. There are seven major classes of AM processes and equipment, and many variants of each process type. There is also a very wide range of end-use applications including medical devices, rocket engines, tooling, spare parts and a trend towards serial production use in many industries. David will describe why AM innovation is often in the news today, where and why AM is being used while showing numerous and varied examples.

More information on IACT can be found here.

I presented “Registering Copyrights” to the Milford Bar Association on 2-20-2025

I am happy to announce that made a presentation to the Milford Bar Association on “Registering Copyrights” yesterday.    I spoke about what copyrights are, who can own them, and how to register a copyright at copyright.gov.   For more information on the Milford Bar Association, go here.

I will be presenting on “Registering Copyrights” for the Milford Bar Assocation

I am happy to announce that on Thursday February 20, 2025 at 3:30 pm I will be presenting a talk on “Registering Copyrights” to the Milford Bar Association (MBA).   Member of the MBA are welcome to come at the Irish Heritage Society located on 131 Bridgeport AV, Milford, CT.   More information on the MBA can be found here.