Intellectual Property Protection

As a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) – and formerly Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) – since 1984, the Broward County Library disseminates information on behalf of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The library also provides information from the U.S. Copyright Office. For more information about the PTRC program, please visit www.uspto.gov/go/ptdl.

There are three main types of intellectual property protection: patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

Patents protect inventions. They are grants of property rights which allow inventors to exclude others from making, using, or selling their inventions.

Trademarks protect the names of products or services. They are words, phrases, symbols, or combinations of these which identify and distinguish the sources of the goods or services of one party from those of another.

Copyrights protect literary and artistic expression. They are a form of protection provided to the creators of literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works.

The Main Library Reference Section has the reference resources one needs to obtain general patent, trademark, and copyright information, determine the patentability of a new idea, conduct patent and trademark searches, and learn how to apply for patent, trademark, or copyright protection. General circulating books relating to intellectual property are located on the fourth floor of the Broward County Main Library.

Note: Although a visit to the Broward County Main Library's Patent and Trademark Resource Center is recommended for anyone seeking information related to intellectual property, general books on patents, trademarks, and copyrights may be found at many branches of the Broward County Library and are generally classified in the 346.73048 Dewey Decimal section of the library.

Links to Websites related to Intellectual Property

PATENTS

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
www.uspto.gov
The website of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office provides information about patents and describes the patent application process. It also allows patent searching.

Note: Although searches may be conducted on this website, a visit to the Main Library Reference Section is recommended for additional guidance on patent searching.

TRADEMARKS

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
www.uspto.gov
The website of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office provides information about trademarks and describes the trademark application and registration process. The TESS section allows the user to do trademark searches, the TARR section allows the user to check the status of registered and pending federal trademarks, and the TEAS section enables the user to apply for a trademark online.

COPYRIGHTS

U.S. Copyright Office
www.copyright.gov   
The website of the U.S. Copyright Office provides access to publications on copyright basics, copyright registration, and copyright searching. Information regarding application forms is available at http://www.copyright.gov/forms/.