Web Resources

Patents

General Patent Information

• U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: Includes information on the patent and trademark process as well as a database of patent abstracts back to 1976.

• General information about patents from the USPTO.

U.S. Patent Databases

• Delphion Patent Server
  27 years of USPTO patent descriptions and over 1.4 million European Patent Office and World Intellectual Property Office patents and applications. This site also provides free images of nearly all U.S. patents over the last 24 years, as well as images of the EPO and WIPO documents.

• U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Patent Database
  Searchable U.S. patents back to 1976, with images that are easy to print.

Foreign Patent Databases

• Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Database
  The PCT came into force on January 24, 1978, and is presently adhered to by over 90 countries, including the United States. The treaty facilitates the filing of applications for patent on the same invention in member countries by providing, among other things, for centralized filing procedures and a standardized application format.

• European Patent Office (EPO) Database
  Established by the Convention on the Grant of European Patents (EPC) signed in Munich in 1973, the EPO is a centralized patent grant system administered by the European Patent Office on behalf of all contracting states. This site offers a database of EPO (EP) and PCT (WO) patents.

Trademarks

• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Web Trademark Database
  Searchable database of U.S. filed and registered trademarks, with images.

• USPTO Basic Facts About Registering a Trademark

Copyright

• U.S. Copyright Office

Business & Entrepreneurial Sites

• EntreWorld: Kaufmann Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership - Resources for Entrepreneurs

• Garage.com: Links to useful information about starting companies.

• "Developing a Profit Plan for Your Business," Liraz Publishing