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Patents Trademarks Copyright
A patent is a property right granted by the Government of the United States  to an inventor “to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling the invention throughout the United States or importing the invention into the United States” for a limited time in exchange for public disclosure of the invention when the patent is granted.

 

Be aware that the process of researching patents and trademarks is complicated and that you may require professional assistance to do a thorough search.

 

You can find previously issued patents and patent applications at the Patent Image and Full-Text Databases website.

 

Submit patent applications electronically.

 

Locate registered patent attorneys and agents.

 

The Fogler Library at the University of Maine, Orono, is a Patent and Trademark Depository Libary (PTDL).  It has the full text of patents, 1790-1917, and will provide copies on interlibrary loan if supplied with a patent number.  The Library also has search tools necessary to do a complete patent search.  Visit the website or call them at 207-581-1678.

 

The Legal Information Institute at Cornell University Law School provides an overview of patent law.

 

 Trademarks protect words, names, symbols, sounds, or colors that distinguish goods and services. Trademarks, unlike patents, can be renewed forever as long as they are being used in business.

 

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Research pending and federally registered trademarks at the U.S. Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS).

 

Review current regulatory information at the U.S. Patent and Tradmark Office, which exists to protect the rights of inventors to their discoveries by issuing patents and registering trademarks.

 

The Maine Dept. of the Secretary of State provides access to basic information about all business entities and trademarks registered in Maine.

 

Research Official Gazette notices concerning patents and trademarks for 1995 to the present online.

 

Cornell University Law School's Legal Information Institute provides an overview of trademark law, recent court decisions, uniform trademarks laws and state statutes.

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  Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to reproduce the work, prepare derivative works from it, distribute copies or phonorecords of the work, perform the work publicly, display the work publicly, and, in the case of sound recordings, to perform the work publicly by means of digital audio transmission.

The U.S. Copyright Office is the office of record  where claims to copyright are registered and where documents relating to copyright may be recorded when the requirements of the copyright law are met.  Learn the basics, review FAQ's, access forms, learn about copyright law online.

Register your work through the Copyright Office via eCO Online, with fill-in Form CO, or learn which paper form will be right for you.

How long is a copyright? View Chart - Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States.

 The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) provides access to national copyright and related rights legislation of its member states.

                   

 

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