Small Businesses Work on Identity Rights

By Jack Kiyonaga | Editor 

Photo courtesy of USPTO.

From creating profitable ideas, to accounting for overhead costs, to filing taxes, running a small business anywhere is difficult, but it can be especially hard to do so from Molokai. As part of a nationwide initiative, representatives from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) made the trip to Molokai to help business owners and local entrepreneurs navigate the world of trademarks and patents. 

“Our goal is always to drive inclusive innovation,” explained Mariessa Terrell, from the USPTO. 

Terrell, along with other USPTO representatives, walked Molokai residents through the fundamentals of creating and filing a patent or trademark for an idea or business, as well as navigating the U.S. system for existing ones. 

“For many folks it can be confusing,” explained Terrell. The U.S. has lots of different rights and rules surrounding the unique expression of a business or idea, she explained, so it’s critical to understand “which rights you want to utilize to protect your ideas.” 

“It was intensive,” said Kuha’o Business Center’s new Small Business Advocate Carrie DeCoite Caparida. “It was a lot of information for one day.” 

The hope, explained DeCoite Caparida, is to expose Molokai businesses to more resources and protections when it comes to off-island ventures. 

“We come from a small island,” she said, “so it’s hard to talk to small businesses and get them to elevate past being on a small island…We wanted to bring them more resources that they could tap into.” 

One of the attendees at the Aug. 21 and 22 USPTO boot camps was Molokai’s Lu Ann Faborito. 

Faborito, who owns Fancy F LLC, a goat farm and events business in Ho’olehua, explained that one reason she attended the workshop was to learn how to “keep Molokai owned and grown products truly Molokai.”  

Proper protections through patents and trademarks and can help prevent misleading or unauthorized use of Molokai products, she explained. 

The boot camps were organized by the County of Maui’s Office of Economic Development through the Kuha’o Business Center. 

Now, DeCoite Caparida is focusing on rebuilding the Kuha’o business resource center to improve information access regarding grants, grants management, resource workshops and more. 

“Lots of people don’t realize what we do here at the center, so I just want to do more outreach as well,” she explained. 

Molokai community members interested in upcoming business or grants workshops can check out future events at the Kuha’o Business Center on Facebook at facebook.com/KuhaoMolokai/.