Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian artists face unique challenges with the shift to online sales and continued limits on attendance at local arts and crafts fairs where their work has traditionally found a home. This event was the inaugural program of a free, monthly webinar series on entrepreneurship and e-commerce that will run through December 2022.
Designed to help Native American visual artists develop and expand their e-commerce presence, these programs will feature speakers from private and public sectors who have extensive experience in the business of selling Native American arts and crafts. Some of the topics to be explored during the series will include:
- Understanding e-commerce basics
- Building a brand
- Pricing products and getting paid
- Protecting your arts and crafts
- Enforcing intellectual property rights in an e-commerce environment
Session 1 focused on business basics, including:
- Introduction to entrepreneurship
- Developing a business plan
A recording of the event is now available.
The series has been organized by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in collaboration with the United States Department of the Interior’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board and Indian Dispute Resolution Services.
All programs will be recorded and made available for viewing online after the program date. There is no charge to attend, and you may register for any, or all, of the webinars as they are announced. For a complete list of upcoming dates, visit the registration page.
Additional information
For more information, visit the registration page or contact Hollis Robinson in the USPTO’s Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA).
This virtual program is hosted by the USPTO’s Global Intellectual Property Academy, a unit of OPIA. The office advises the administration and other federal government departments and agencies on domestic and international IP legal and policy issues. It also provides technical assistance and training on IP-related matters to U.S. stakeholders and both U.S. and foreign government officials.