I arrived in San Diego for the National Speakers Association Convention mid-day on Sunday.  At the registration desk I met up with fellow NSA Illinois member Dr. Michael Mercer, an expert on pre-employment testing.  The author of numerous books and two blogs, Dr. Mercer has established himself as the go-to expert on pre-employment testing for the HR industry.  Learn more about his work and subscribe to his free newsletter at www.pre-employmenttests.com.

Dr. Mercer and I discussed a wide range of topics including trademark registration for speakers.  With the help of a live wireless internet connection, I took him to the Trademark Office website to review his registration history.  We found some snags that could have easily been avoided with a few simple steps that many businesses and general attorneys miss when they proceed without expert advice.  These steps are the kinds of things I address in my book Guiding Rights and in my workshops and seminars for business owners. 

We discussed the possible need for a hands-on seminar for professional speakers and writers on how to create, register and protect trademarks for you business.  The program could include a workshop with live computer links to the Internet.  Each participant would learn how to select, clear and file applications for trademark registration.  By the end of the seminar, participants would have filed their own trademark registration application online and would leave with the knowledge to see the application through to registration.  The same model could be applied to workshops for copyright registration, book contracts and a variety of other IP subjects.

What do you think?  Is it a good idea?  Would you attend?  Please leave a comment or send and email to let me know.