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Are you a university researcher developing a revolutionary new material? A business student looking forward to starting your own company? You’ll need to protect your intellectual property by using patents and/or trademarks, but getting such protection can be complicated and confusing.
The good news is that there’s a place here at Fogler Library ready to help you understand what patents and trademarks are, and how to navigate the process. The Patent & Trademark Resource Center (PTRC), located in Fogler Library’s Information Commons, can help introduce you to these complex instruments. Our PTRC is one of a network of such facilities nationwide, coordinated by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and is the only one in the State. As our PTRC representative, librarian John Hutchinson has received extensive training from the USPTO about government policy regarding patents and trademarks.
Importantly, he can show you how to do a thorough search through government databases for existing trademarks and patents, which is a crucial part of the process. By doing a proper search, you can find out if your idea is taken before you spend a lot of money on research and legal fees.
What if you haven’t invented anything yet? Patent searching can be a useful and fun way of researching technology and designs. Reading patents can give anyone knowledge of technical terms, design and mechanical principles.
As for trademarks, even if you don’t have a design in mind, searching existing trademarks can help you brainstorm. There are hundreds of categories of images used in trademark design; from celestial objects to animals to musical instruments.
Intellectual property protection isn’t just for large corporations. Individual scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs all need to understand how to protect their creations. The PTRC is here to help.
Visit our PTRC research guide for more information or to contact John Hutchinson.
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Raymond H. Fogler Library
