---
kind: "section"
citation: "15 U.S.C. § 648c"
title: "15"
title_heading: "Commerce and Trade"
number: "648c"
heading: "SBA and USPTO partnerships"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/15/648c"
units:
  - "Chapter 14A — Aid to Small Business"
---

# §648c. SBA and USPTO partnerships

- (a) **In general—** Beginning not later than 180 days after October 9, 2018, the [Administrator](/usc/15/637c.md?p=1), in consultation with the Director, shall develop partnership [agreements](/usc/15/7a.md?p=2) that—
  - (1) provide for the—
    - (A) development of high-quality training, including in-[person](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6) or modular training sessions, for [small business concerns](/usc/15/636e.md?p=6) relating to domestic and international protection of intellectual property;
    - (B) leveraging of training materials already developed for the education of inventors and [small business concerns](/usc/15/636e.md?p=6); and
    - (C) participation of a nongovernmental organization; and
  - (2) provide training—
    - (A) through electronic resources, including Internet-based webinars; and
    - (B) at physical locations, including—
      - (i) a [small business development center](/usc/15/632.md?p=t); and
      - (ii) the headquarters or a regional office of the USPTO.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 115–259, § 4, Oct. 9, 2018, 132 Stat. 3664.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was enacted as part of the Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017, and not as part of the Small Business Act which comprises this chapter.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Findings

Pub. L. 115–259, § 3, Oct. 9, 2018, 132 Stat. 3664, provided that: “Congress finds that— the USPTO and the SBA are positioned to— build upon several successful intellectual property and training programs aimed at small business concerns; and increase the availability of and the participation in the programs described in subparagraph (A) across the United States; and any education and training program administered by the USPTO and the SBA should be scalable so that the program is able to reach more small business concerns.”

### Definitions

Pub. L. 115–259, § 2, Oct. 9, 2018, 132 Stat. 3664, provided that: “In this Act [see Short Title of 2018 Amendment note set out under section 631 of this title]— the term ‘Administrator’ means the Administrator of the SBA; the term ‘Director’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO; the term ‘SBA’ means the Small Business Administration; the term ‘small business concern’ has the meaning given the term in section 3(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(a)); the term ‘small business development center’ means a center described in section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648); and the term ‘USPTO’ means the United States Patent and Trademark Office.”