What is MAPP (Marketing and patent program)?

MAPP means MARKETING AND PATENT PROGRAM (MAPP)

Have you had an idea for a new product and need to talk to a patent attorney about it?
Do you want to know more about protecting an idea with patents, trademarks, non-disclosure and licensing agreements?
Or, have you been trying to launch a new product or grow an existing one but don't know how to analyze the market, set a reasonable price, or find a way to distribute it in the Global marketplace?
These are some of the frequently asked questions that prompted the SmartZone to apply for and receive a state grant that will enable us to offer more comprehensive patenting and marketing assistance.

We have named this new program the Marketing and Patent Assistance Program (MAPP, and its purpose is to subsidize the costs of bringing patent attorneys and marketing services to the U.P.
Until now, entrepreneurs and businesses had to travel outside the U.P. to meet with experts in these fields. By paying the travel costs and negotiating reduced rates, MAPP will offer timely, high-quality and cost-effective assistance to entrepreneurs, startups and established businesses.
In certain cases, MAPP will also pay for some of the costs of assisting an entrepreneur or company.
The SmartZone's objective is to help grow the high-tech job base here in the U.P. by making it easier to start and grow a business.

MAPP's patent assistance program After interviewing and visiting a number of different patent attorney firms in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, the SmartZone selected the Southfield, MI firm of Brooks Kushman, P.C. (BK).
BK is a law firm with over 40 patent attorneys and agents trained in a broad range of scientific disciplines and experienced in working with entrepreneurs and small companies in the areas of patent prosecution, trademark and copyright services, developing and negotiating licensing agreements, surveying existing patent landscapes, providing opinions, designing around existing patents and litigation.
MAPP will bring BK attorneys to the U.P. on a quarterly basis and provide them with a local office. MAPP will also schedule workshops that BK will offer covering such topics as patents, trademarks, international patent protection, licensing strategies, updates on patent law, and other subjects of interest to local entrepreneurs and businessmen.
Anyone may take advantage of BK's services and make an appointment to meet with them or attend their workshops. However, if you are developing products or services in Michigan 's Tri-Corridor (Homeland Security, Advanced Automotive Design, or the Life Sciences) and fit the SmartZone criteria (i.e., are “high-tech” developing or growing a company that will generate local jobs), MAPP may also subsidize a part of the costs of working with BK. As there are no full-service patent firms in the U.P., this is a wonderful opportunity for anyone looking for assistance with intellectual property issues.

MAPP's marketing assistance: Under MAPP, Boomerang Marketing, with an office in the Powerhouse in Houghton, will offer marketing help. What kind of marketing assistance can MAPP offer?
First, market assessments – who is your customer, why will they want your product or service, how much will they pay for it, how do you reach them, who are your competitors, how big is the market, how do you sell outside the U.P. and outside the country?
Second, strategic planning – how do you create a more professional image, establish a promotional campaign, prepare a new product launch, develop sales tools, organize a communications strategy? Many businesses and entrepreneurs in the U.P. have developed cutting-edge products and services but lack the experience and expertise to effectively market those products. As with MAPP's patent assistance, if you are working within the Tri-Corridor and qualify for SmartZone assistance, MAPP may pay a portion of the marketing costs. In this case, MAPP may also find and pay a portion of the costs of hiring additional marketing experts in a particular field, such as telecommunications or medical devices. In this way, your company will be more prepared to compete on a global scale.

What Is the Michigan Technology Tri-Corridor (MTTC)?

The Tri-Corridor refers to Michigan's efforts to support companies developing products or services in the three areas of Advanced Automotive, Homeland Security and Life Sciences.

Advanced Automotive Technologies
Michigan is the intellectual capital and global R&D automotive center, spending $10.3 billion annually and employing over 60,000 professionals statewide. This industry in Michigan focuses on engineered products, processes and technologies with applications in the automotive industry that:

- Improve safety, vehicle performance, product quality and durability - Promote advanced power train and alternative energy technologies and environmentally conscious solutions - Reduce costs - Homeland Security Technologies Since the devastating attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the phrase “homeland security” has become very familiar to the general public. The first actions taken were very much a response to this act: the upgrading of border and airport security, the passage of new laws designed to thwart similar attacks and governmental re-organization. Right now, the United States finds itself at the next stage in the evolution of homeland security in which the private sector has a large part to play.

Reference
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