Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights
What it Takes to Have Great Invention Ideas
Having winning invention ideas takes more than the Eureka moment. Invention ideas have no limitations. Anyone from a 7 year-old child to a great grandmother can create the next big thing. Before you embark on the invention journey, determine if you have the necessary ingredients for a great invention idea.
Copyright Laws and Your Business
The concept of copyright is vitally important in that it can protect irreplaceable intellectual property from being stolen. Despite the ubiquity of the copyright symbol, though, the legal concept of copyright unfortunately defies easy understanding.
Make Your Business Unique by Registering a Trademark
A brand name or logo is what distinguishes your company. When you successfully register a trademark, you gain exclusive rights to use those identifying symbols for your business.
Protecting Intellectual Property is Smart Business
Piracy and intellectual property theft are on the rise. Small businesses in the U.S. are especially vulnerable, in part because they usually are not well-versed in how to protect themselves, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The problem has become so severe that the agency established an intellectual property Web site for small businesses to brush up on this critical area.
The Six Pieces of the Patent Idea Puzzle
What does it take to successfully turn a patent idea into a marketable product? There are 6 key pieces of patent information you will need to succeed. Each part plays an important role. If you miss one, the results can be disastrous.
Is Your Small Business Trademark Infringement Proof?
Has your small business taken the necessary steps to protect against trademark infringement? Small business owners casually name their product or service and step right into the trademark infringement landmine.
Inventions (Inventors)
Everything you need to know about the world of inventions and inventing from About.com Inventor Guide Mary Bellis. A complete resource for business and inventors covers the basic inventing 101 to the weird inventions category.
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Protect your small business from online copyright infringement. Learn more about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Canadian Patents Database
The Canadian Intellectual Property Office provides a patent search database going back 75 years scanning over 1.4 million patent documents. Includes a trademark search and links to other worldwide patent searches.
Copyright Clearance Center
Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. is "the largest licenser of text reproduction rights in the world". The Center covers the rights of 1.75 million works and 9,600 publishers and over 10,000 corporations. Easy access to rights to all forms of publishing including electronic and websites.
Licensing For Profit
PatentCafe.com is a comprehensive network of information, learning, online retail and community for the Intellectual Property market. The article "Licensing for Profit" provides a good overview for entrepreneurs and inventors. The Invention Royalty Guideline Chart gives a great reference to payments on types of products & properties.
Patent Alert Service
A free e-mail subscription to recent U.S. patents. Keep informed of your field and any new competitive developments with your customized subscription.
Trademark and Copyright Services
Thomson & Thomson is the world's largest company in trademark and copyright services. This site offers an Intellectual Property library for legal resources, education, organizations and directories. All the resources for U.S., Canada and International markets.
UK Patent Office
Search the UK patents, design, trademarks and copyrights directly from the UK Patent Office. Includes glossary, definitions and other resources in managing your intellectual property for UK residents or international visitors registering a UK patent. Note: Some files are only available in Portable Document Format (pdf), Adobe Acrobat reader required.
United States Copyright Office
Use or manage your copyrights. The Library of Congress U.S. Copyright Office website will inform, educate and manage your copyrights. Learn about the law, basics, FAQ and licensing rights.
United States Patent & Trademark Office
This is the official site of the U.S. Trademark & Patent office. Covers searches, how-to's and filing a patent or trademark. A must see location for serious business owners managing their intellectual properties.
Australia Government Patent Search
Take a look down under for the patent database of the Australia Government. This site also includes patent information such as application process, the fees involved and examples of successful Australian patents.