SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Small Business Inno-
vation Protection Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad-
ministrator of the SBA; 
(2) the term ‘‘Director’’ means the Under Sec-
retary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and 
Director of the USPTO; 
(3) the term ‘‘SBA’’ means the Small Business 
Administration; 
(4) 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)); 
(5) the term ‘‘small business development cen-
ter’’ means a center described in section 21 of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648); and 
(6) the term ‘‘USPTO’’ means the United 
States Patent and Trademark Office. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) the USPTO and the SBA are positioned 
to—
(A) build upon several successful intellec-
tual property and training programs aimed at 
small business concerns; and 
(B) increase the availability of and the 
participation in those programs across the 
United States; and 
(2) any education and training program admin-
istered by the USPTO and the SBA should be scal-
able so that the program is able to reach more small 
business concerns. 
SEC. 4. SBA AND USPTO PARTNERSHIPS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator and the 
Director shall enter into a partnership agreement under 
which the Administrator and Director shall— 
(1) develop high-quality training, including in- 
person or modular training sessions, for small busi-
ness concerns relating to— 
(A) domestic and international protection 
of intellectual property; and 
(B) how such protections should be consid-
ered in the business plans and growth strategies 
of the small business concerns; and
(2) leverage existing training materials already 
developed to educate inventors and small business 
concerns. 
(b) TRAINING.—The training developed under sub-
section (a) may be provided by the Administrator, the Di-
rector, or small business development centers established 
under section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
648)— 
(1) through electronic resources, including 
Internet-based webinars; and 
(2) at physical locations, including at— 
(A) a small business development center; 
or 
(B) the headquarters or a regional office of 
the USPTO. 
SEC. 5. SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS. 
Section 21(c)(3) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 648(c)(3)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (S), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(2) in subparagraph (T), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(U) training developed by the Administrator 
and the Director of the United States Patent and
Trademark Office, which may be delivered in person 
or through a website to small business concerns re-
lating to— 
‘‘(i) domestic and international intellectual 
property protections; and 
‘‘(ii) how such protections should be con-
sidered in the business plans and growth strate-
gies of the small business concerns.’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 10, 2018. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2655 
AN ACT 
To amend the Small Business Act to expand intel-
lectual property education and training for small 
businesses, and for other purposes.