Trademarks

Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDL).

• Fogler Library, University of Maine.
• PTDL Libraries in all 50 states.

U.S. Trademarks: General information and trademark databases

• U.S. Trademarks Page.
• Basic Facts About Trademarks. Defines trademarks and details the registration process and filing requirements. A U.S. Patent and Trademark Office publication. 
• Frequently asked questions about trademarks.
• U.S. Trademark Electronic Search System. TESS. (First choice in the center column) TESS contains more than 3 million pending, registered and dead federal trademarks. Starting point for determining if a name is already in use.
• U.S. Trademark Assignment Query Menu. Trademark assignments recorded 1955 to present.
• Electronic Trademark Official Gazette. The Electronic Trademark Official Gazette allows you to browse or search through the trademarks issued each week The most recent 5 issues are being made available online. Prior issues of the Trademark Gazette are available at the PTDL's. The Electronic Trademark Official Gazette is available as a PDF file and you must use the Find within Adobe to locate information in a particular weekly issue.

U.S. Trademarks: Application and trademark status systems

• U.S. Trademark Electronic Application System. TEAS. TEAS allows you to fill out a form, check it for completeness, and then submit the form directly to the USPTO over the internet, making an official trademark application online.
• U.S. Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure. TMEP. 4th edition. This work contains the practices and procedures applied to trademark applications.
• U.S. Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval (TARR). Retrieve status information about pending and registered trademarks from the USPTO’s internal database by simply entering a valid trademark serial number or registration number.
• U.S. Electronic Trademark Assignment System. eTAS. . Forms to complete to assign or change ownership of a trademark.
• U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeals Board. TAAB.   Board that settles trademark disputes.
• Madrid Protocol Forms and guidelines. 
• USPTO News. Archive of news announcements.

Maine and State Trademarks

• State of Maine. Dept. of the Secretary of State.   Search for trademarks that are registered within the state of Maine. The Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions provides information on conducting business in Maine and the Trademark guide, forms and fees. Searching for Maine trademarks and corporate names.
• State Trademark Agencies and Databases. Provides address and website information for the state agencies and links to databases for each state to search for trademarks registered in those states. For those states where a database is not listed, check the link to the government agency provided. Many states have added databases recently.

International Trademark Databases

• Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
• Canadian Trademarks Page.
• Canadian Trademarks Database.
• European Union. Community Trademarks and Community Designs
• International Trademark Laws, Rules, Databases and Treaties
• United Kingdom. Trademark Database
• Collection of Laws for Electronic Access (CLEA). Provided by the WIPO. This database provides access to intellectual property legislation from a wide range of countries and regions as well as to treaties on intellectual property.

Directories of Products and Companies: Search to see if a similar product is already being sold.

• GlobalSpec.com.
• Hoover's Online.The business information authority.
• ManufacuringNet.The manufacturing marketplace
• Building Materials by McGraw-Hill Sweet's. Construction industry marketplace that lists close to 60,000 products.
• Thomas Register.Lists over 173,000 U.S. and Canadian manufacturers.
• Thomas Register of European Manufacturers.
• Yahoo Business directories and yellow pages.

• Maine Business Resource Guide. Augusta, Me. : Maine Dept. of Economic and Community Development, 2006.
• Bizoffice. Small and home-based business resources.
• BUZGate.org. Business Utility Zone Gateway. Provides access to a multitude of Maine resources for small businesses. Chose "Maine" from the state listing.
• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Searchable database of federal grant programs.
• Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Business. University of Southern Maine. School of Business.
• Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI)
• Eastern Maine Development Corp. (EMDC)
• Entrepreneur.com.
• Export.gov. U.S. Government export information. Expand your business outside our borders.
• Finance Authority of Maine.  
• Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).
• Maine Investment Exchange.
• Morebusiness.com.
• National Association of Small Business Investment Companies (NASBIC). America's Small Business Partners.
• Penquis Community Action Program. Penquis CAP. Economic Development Programs.
• SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) Association. Maine Offices
• SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) Association. Chapter 53, Portland Maine.  Counselors to Americas small business.
• Small Enterprise Growth Fund. Maine's Venture Capital Fund. 
• U.S. Small Business Administration. (Maine) Provides information on starting a business, writing a business plan and securing financing. Many online legal and business resources are provided. They also sponsor the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program which provides funding to entrepreneurs working on innovations.   
• Women's Business Center of Maine. Coastal Enterprises, Inc.

Professional Organizations

• American Intellectual Property Law Association. They have made available the publication "How to Protect and Benefit from your Ideas".
• Intellectual Property Owners Association. (IPO).
• International Trademark Association.
• National Intellectual Property Researchers Association (NIPRA).
• Patent and Trademark Depository Library Association. (PTDLA)-
• World Intellectual Property Organization. (WIPO)

Trademark Guides

• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Basic Facts about Trademarks. Also helpful is there FAQ Page.
• All About Trademarks. From G. H. Guillot.
• Franklin Pierce Law Center. Trademarks and Business Goodwill
• Legal Information Institute. Provided by the Cornell University Law School.
• Mayall's IP Links. Comprehensive site including international laws, trademark offices and advice on a multitude of international databases. 
• MegaLaw.Com Trademark Page.
• Nolo's Legal Encyclopedia.
• Overview of Trademark Law. Harvard Law School
• Trademark Law: an overview. Cornell University. Law School.

Attorneys and Trademark Search Firms

• Maine Directory of attorneys registered with the USPTO.
• Maine State Bar Association at 1-800-860-1460 or 1-207-622-1460.
• Trademark.com. A service of MicroPatent. Searching for a fee of U.S., State, Common LAw, Domain Names and international trademarks.

Internet Directories

• All About Trademarks. From G. H. Guillot.

Raymond H. Fogler Library University of Maine Orono, ME 04469 207-581-1661

Updated: 09/07/2007
by Martin Wallace