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Intellectual Property

  • How to Protect Your Intellectual Property in the U.S. and Abroad
  • Government Agencies Aiding IP Enforcement
  • Global Partners Aiding IP Enforcement
  • Business Tools for IP Enforcement
  • USPTO Inventors Assistance Center (IAC) - Provides patent information and services to the public. The IAC is staffed by former Primary Examiners, Supervisory Patent Examiners, and senior patent managers who answer general questions concerning patent examining policy and procedure.
  • IP Help for Independent Inventors and Small Business - The Independent Inventors section of the USPTO web site provides information on programs to assist independent inventors and small businesses in registering their IP. The Inventor Assistance Program is part of the Office of Commissioner and offers bi-monthly online chats for inventors and small businesses. A panel of experts from across the USPTO answer question for one hour every other month.
  • List of Patent and Trademark Resource Centers (PTRCs) - Patent and Trademark Resource Centers are a nationwide network of public, state and academic libraries that are designated to disseminate patent and trademark information and to support the diverse intellectual property needs of the public.  They make freely available to the public a minimum 20-year backfile of U.S. patents and are available to assist the pubic in the efficient use of the collection.  The intellectual property collections of some libraries significantly exceed the core requirements. All libraries have access to U.S. patents since 1790.
  • Public Search Facility at USPTO - The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Public Search Facility located in Alexandria, VA provides public access to patent and trademark information in a variety of formats including on-line, microfilm, and print. Trained staff are available to assist public users.
  • Copyright Office - The United States Copyright Office is a part of the Library of Congress and administers the registration and rulemaking for copyrights in the United States. 
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