Patents and Trademarks
This guide features our Patent and Trademark Resource Center's (PTRC) resources and services.
What is intellectual property or IP?
Intellectual property or IP are property rights for intellectual creations that have been put into a fixed, tangible format.
In the United States, there are four types of IP:
- Patents - protects new inventions
- Trademarks - anything that identifies the source of a product or service offered in commerce
- Copyrights - protect the specific expression of an idea in text, music, choreography, graphic arts
- Trade Secrets - any secret formula, process, or business method that offers a commercial advantage to the holder
- IP Identifier: Learn to identify and protect your intellectual propertyLearn how to identify which of your creative ideas might be intellectual property assets and how to protect them by using the USPTO Intellectual Property (IP) Identifier.
Are you thinking about starting a business? Do you own one already? Or maybe you’re an inventor, artist, or designer. Maybe you sell goods online or in a store or provide a service to others. If so, you may have intellectual property.
Books about intellectual property or IP
American Property by
In America, we are eager to claim ownership: our homes, our ideas, our organs, even our own celebrity. But beneath our nation's proprietary longing looms a troublesome question: what does it mean to own something? More simply: what is property? The question is at the heart of many contemporary controversies, including disputes over who owns everything from genetic material to indigenous culture to music and film on the Internet. To decide if and when genes or culture or digits are a kind of property that can be possessed, we must grapple with the nature of property itself. How does it originate? What purposes does it serve? Is it a natural right or one created by law? Accessible and mercifully free of legal jargon, American Property reveals the perpetual challenge of answering these questions, as new forms of property have emerged in response to technological and cultural change, and as ideas about the appropriate scope of government regulation have shifted. This first comprehensive history of property in the United States is a masterly guided tour through a contested human institution that touches all aspects of our lives and desires. Stuart Banner shows that property exists to serve a broad set of purposes, constantly in flux, that render the idea of property itself inconstant. Despite our ideals of ownership, property has always been a means toward other ends. What property signifies and what property is, we come to see, has consistently changed to match the world we want to acquire.
Call Number: Faust Law Library and eBook
The Colored Inventor by
Henry Edwin Baker (1859-1928) was an African American author. He was born in Columbus, Mississippi. When he was 16 he was one of only three black men selected as cadet midshipmen to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis where he studied between 1874-1875. In 1879 he entered Howard University's law school, graduating in 1881 and later continuing his postgraduate studies in the law program in 1893. He became Assistant Examiner to the United States Patent Office. His article The Negro as an Inventor (1902), which appeared in Twentieth Century Negro Literature (1902), details some of the inventions by African Americans. His other works include: The Colored Inventor: A Record of Fifty Years (1913) and Benjamin Banneker: The Negro Mathematician and Astronomer (1918).
Call Number: ebookPublication Date: 2009
The Copyright Handbook: What Every Writer Needs to Know by
If you work with words, you need this book No writer likes to see their hard work or creativity copied by others--or to be accused of copying. Fortunately,The Copyright Handbook provides everything you need to protect yourself. Find information and forms to help you: learn what copyright law protects and doesn't register your work with the Copyright Office deal with infringers, online and off transfer ownership of a copyright get international copyright protection understand the "fair use" rule obtain permission to use copyrighted work, and profit from your copyright. The 14th edition is updated with key court decisions and emerging rules in order to provide the latest guidance on registering and protecting your work. With Downloadable Forms: Essential forms and agreements including a Copyright Assignment, Work-Made-for-Hire Agreement, Collaboration Agreement, and Permission Agreement are available for download (details inside).
Call Number: Available onlineISBN: 9781413327830Publication Date: 2021
The Democratization of Invention by
This book, first published in 2005, examines the evolution and impact of American intellectual property rights during the 'long nineteenth century'. The American experience is compared to Britain and France, countries whose institutions reflected their oligarchic origins. Instead, US patent and copyright institutions were carefully calibrated to 'promote the general welfare'. The United States created the first modern patent system and its politics were the most liberal in the world toward inventors. When markets expanded, these inventors contributed to the proliferation of new technologies and improvements, many of which proved to be valuable both in economic and technical terms. American patent and copyright institutions not only furthered economic and technological progress but also provided a conduit for the creativity and achievements of disadvantaged groups.
Call Number: KF2979 .K48 2005
Electronic and Software Patents by Call Number: KF3133.C65 E43 2016ISBN: 9781682670163Publication Date: 2016Faust Law Library Level 1 Compact Shelving
Exploring Materials Through Patent Information by
Many advances in technology are due to the development of new materials and by using patent literature we can monitor how technology has advanced. Exploring Materials through Patent Information describes how different technologies have evolved through the development of their patents, providing students with a guide on how to use patents as a source of information in their research and studies. The first chapter provides practical advice on searching for patents and using patents, followed by individual chapters covering different material systems where the technical information in the patent literature demonstrates the developments in the technology. The materials discussed includes light-emitting diodes, quantum dots, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), liquid crystals and liquid crystal displays, 3d printing, healthcare, block copolymers, aerogels, ionic liquids, flame retardants, graphene, hydrogels, and superhydrophobic materials. The book is aimed at students in chemistry, materials science and engineering to show how patent information is an important source of information alongside other sources of information.
Call Number: T210 .S44 2015ISBN: 9781782621126Publication Date: 2014
A History of the Early Patent Offices by Call Number: T223 P2 D6 1997ISBN: 1887901132Publication Date: 1997
How to Make Patent Drawings by Call Number: T223.U3 L6 2011ISBN: 9781413321562Publication Date: 2015
Intellectual Property and Information Rights for Librarians by Call Number: Available onlineISBN: 9781440870712Publication Date: 2019
Inventing Ideas: Patents, Prizes, and the Knowledge Economy by
What determines why some countries succeed and others fall behind? Economists have long debated the sources of economic growth, resulting in conflicting and often inaccurate claims about the role of the state, knowledge, patented ideas, monopolies, grand innovation prizes, and the nature of disruptive technologies. B. Zorina Khan's Inventing Ideas overturns conventional thinking and meticulously demonstrates how and why the mechanism design of institutions propels advances in the knowledge economy and ultimately shapes the fate of nations. Drawing on the experiences of over 100,000 inventors and innovations from Britain, France, and the United States during the first and second industrial revolutions (1750-1930), Khan's comprehensive empirical analysis provides a definitive micro-foundation for endogenous macroeconomic growth models. This groundbreaking study uses comparative analysis across time and place to show how different institutions affect technological innovation and growth. Khan demonstrates how top-down innovation systems, in which elites, state administrators, or panels make key economic decisions about prizes, rewards and the allocation of resources, prove to be ineffective and unproductive. By contrast, open-access markets in patented ideas increase the scale and scope of creativity, foster diversity and inclusiveness, generate greater knowledge spillovers, and enhance social welfare in the wider population. When institutions are associated with rewards that are misaligned with economic value and productivity, the negative consequences can accumulate and reduce comparative advantage at the level of individuals and nations alike. So who will arise as the global leader of the twenty-first century? The answer depends on the extent to which we learn and implement the lessons from the history of innovation and enterprise.
Call Number: eBook
Legal Aspects of Engineering Design and Innovation by Call Number: KF2928. V38 2017ISBN: 9781465295316Publication Date: 2017
Patent, Copyright and Trademark: An Intellectual Property Desk Reference by
A plain-English guide to intellectual property lawWhether you are in the world of business or creative arts, understanding the laws that govern your work is critical to success. But given the convoluted terminology that surrounds patents, copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights, this isn't easy. Enter Patent, Copyright & Trademark, which explains: what legal rights apply to your creations, products, or inventions different types of patents for inventions from machines to plant clones the scope of copyright protection how trademark law works, and what trade secret law protects. Here, you'll find readily understandable definitions of intellectual property law terms, straightforward explanations of how intellectual property law affects online content, and much more. The 17th edition is completely updated to provide the latest laws (including the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020), court decisions, sample applications, and other forms.
Call Number: KF2980 .E44 2022 (Faust Law Library Level 1 Reading Room)ISBN: 9781413329834Publication Date: 2022
Patent It Yourself: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Filing at the U.S. Patent Office by
Protect and profit from your inventionFor over 35 years, Patent It Yourself has guided hundreds of thousands of inventors through the process of getting a patent, from start to finish. Patent attorneys David Pressman and David E. Blau provide the latest information, forms, and clear instructions to help you: conduct a patent search the right way evaluate your idea's commercial potential file a provisional patent application to get "patent pending" status prepare a patent application focus on your patent application's claims respond to patent examiners get your drawings done right protect your rights in foreign countries deal with infringers, and market and license your invention. The 21st edition covers the latest court decisions and patent filing rule changes.
Call Number: KF3114.85 .P74 2023 (Faust Law Library Level 1 Reading Room)ISBN: 9781413329971Publication Date: 2023
Patent Pending in 24 Hours by
Everything you need to protect your invention now The provisional patent application (PPA) is a quick, inexpensive, and legal way to claim your invention--and buy yourself time to determine whether it's worthwhile to pursue a regular patent. Patent Pending in 24 Hours shows you how to: conduct a patent search online evaluate potential hurdles to patentability prepare informal drawings file your application, and file a new PPA to reflect modifications The 9th edition covers the latest implications of the "America Invents Act," as well as recent revisions to patent rules and regulations. Thousands of people have used Patent Pending in 24 Hours successfully. You can too! Includes key PPA-related forms: nondisclosure agreement, patent assignment, prototype-maker agreement, and joint-ownership agreement.
Call Number: Available onlineISBN: 9781413329186Publication Date: 2022
Patent Searching Made Easy by
Understand the patentability of your invention and avoid expensive patent-searching fees with this step-by-step guide. With Patent Searching Made Easy, you can: Get the best answer to the inventor's all-important question when it comes to profiting from an idea: "Am I the first?" quickly and effectively research your idea or invention to see whether anyone has already patented it optimally describe and classify your invention, and target your search figure out whether your idea is new enough to qualify for a patent verify the patent status of ideas submitted to you (if you're a developer), and use the latest federal and international search-related resources. Written for both inventors and business owners interested in expanding their product line through the license, distribution or manufacture of other people's ideas
Call Number: Available onlineISBN: 9781413329698Publication Date: 2022
Pharmaceutical Patent Law by Call Number: KF3133 .D78 T46 2015Faust Law Library Level 1 Compact Shelving
Secrets of successful women inventors : how they swam with the "sharks" and hundreds of other ways to commercialize your own inventions by Call Number: HQ1397 .S43 2023Print and electronic versions available
Successful Patents and Patenting for Engineers and Scientists by Call Number: KF3114.8.E54 S83 1995ISBN: 0780310861Publication Date: 1995
Trademark: : Legal Care for Your Business & Product Name by
Protect your business name and logo! Your business name, the names of your key products, and your logos, packaging, and slogans--all of these can function as trademarks that distinguish your business and its services and products. So it's important to choose your marks carefully and protect them vigilantly. Here, you'll find the most up-to-date information on how to select and protect a great trademark. Learn how to: choose trademarks that distinguish you from competitors search for marks that might conflict with your own register your mark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office protect your marks from unauthorized use by others resolve trademark disputes outside the courtroom, and create an Internet presence and secure a domain name. Includes step-by-step instructions on how to register and maintain your trademark with the federal government. Thoroughly updated, the 13th edition includes the latest laws and court cases, including the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to allow registration of a "disparaging" phrase.
Call Number: KF3180.Z9 E43 2022 Faust Law Library Level 1 Reading RoomISBN: 9781413330090Publication Date: 2022
IP Disclosure
Listed below are links to the U's IP policy and the technology transfer office.
Employees at other companies, organizations, and institutions should check their internal policies regarding IP, especially when it is related to your employment and work. There is likely an internal process for disclosing IP.
- Policy 7-002: Patents and InventionsUofU Policy 7-002 outline the University's Policy regarding patents and inventions, which applies to all University administrative officers, faculty members, non- faculty academic employees, staff members (whether full or part-time), and students.
- Technology Licensing Office"The Technology Licensing Office strives to be a global leader in innovation management that creates value for the University of Utah, its stakeholders and society." The Technology Licensing Office was formerly known as PIVOT, TVC, and TCO. It's the University's technology transfer office.
*According to University Policy 7-002, UofU employees and students (sometimes) must disclose their IP inventions to the Technology Licensing Office.
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