LibGuides: Patents and Trademarks: Inventors, Entrepreneurs, and Authors

National & International Inventor & Entrepreneur Resources

USPTO Inventor Resources: This is USPTO's official web site for independent inventors. The web site provides comprehensive information on intellectual property, patents, trademarks and copyrights.

Federal Trade Commission - Invention Promotion Firms: Unscrupulous promoters take advantage of an inventor's enthusiasm for a new product or service. They not only urge inventors to patent their ideas or invention, but they also make false and exaggerated claims about the market potential of the invention or idea. This FTC web site gives tips on how to avoid being scammed.

Intellectual Property Mall: An exhaustive intellectual property resource from the Franklin Pierce Law Center. Includes links to other web sites, articles, and user guides.

BitLaw - A Resource on Technology Law: BitLaw is a comprehensive web resource on technology law, containing over 1,800 pages on patent, copyright, trademark, and internet legal issues.

Inventor's Handbook: Lemelson-MIT Program: This handbook was created by the Lemelson-MIT Program to address the independent inventor's and aspiring entrepreneur's most frequently asked questions regarding United States patents.

United Inventors Association: The web site is home of the Inventors Awareness Center (IAC), a consumer education program offering a wealth of information to help inventors find legitimate service providers and avoid fraudulent invention promotion companies.; United States Small Business Administration (SBA) - Office of Small Business Development Centers (SBDC); The Mission of the SBDC is to provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. SBDCs offer one-stop assistance to individuals and small businesses by providing a wide variety of information and guidance in central and easily accessible branch locations. The program is a cooperative effort of the private sector, the educational community and federal, state and local governments.; SCORE - Counselors to America's Small Business; The SCORE Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneurial education and the formation, growth and success of small businesses nationwide. SCORE is America's premier source of free & confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs.

SBIR - Small Business Innovation Research: The SBIR and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) programs, two competitively awarded, three-phase Federal Government programs, are designed to stimulate technological innovation and provide opportunities for small business. These dynamic teaming of the private and public sectors include joint venture opportunities for small businesses and the nation's premier nonprofit research institutions.

Wisconsin Innovation Service Center (WISC): The Wisconsin Innovation Service Center (WISC) specializes in new product and invention assessments and market expansion opportunities for innovative manufacturers, technology businesses, and independent inventors. Since 1980, WISC has researched the viability of over 6,000 projects. Technical experts and researchers use an extensive array of resources to analyze information on technical feasibility, existing patents, market size, competitive intensity, demand trends, and other areas. WISC's research products cover product feasibility, competitive intelligence, distributor assessment, customer satisfaction, and licensing partnerships.

StopFakes.gov: The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) web site dedicated to small businesses and protecting their intellectual property (IP), both in the U.S. and abroad. Specifically designed to answer common questions of small businesses so they can better identify and address their protection needs, the new online resources are part of a nationwide awareness campaign to help educate small businesses on IP protection. The Web site provides information to help small businesses, home business owners, inventors and other entrepreneurs decide when, where and how to file for intellectual property protection.

Lemelson-MIT Awards for Invention and Innovation: The Lemelson-MIT Awards honor both established and rising inventors for their ingenuity, creativity and contribution to invention and innovation. The awards recognize the profound impact that inventors can have on economic and social well-being.

Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network (GWIIN): Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network (GWIIN)- a subsidiary of the Professional Family Woman's Network Ltd based in the United Kingdom, is a global network which aims to increase the number of innovative women embracing enterprise.

Connecticut Inventor & Entrepreneur Resources

Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic at the Univ. of CT, School of Law

Since the Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic opened its doors in January 2007, it has assisted (or is presently assisting) more than 165 clients, hailing from all eight counties in Connecticut and representing more than 65 different cities and towns. Under the guidance of supervising attorneys, the Clinic's students are involved in all aspects of client matters, including but not limited to conducting interviews, performing legal research, drafting documents, and interacting with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office. The Clinic has advised clients regarding numerous legal issues, including patent searches and applications; trademark clearances and applications; copyright and trademark licensing; and nondisclosure, consulting, and employee agreements.

Inventors Association of Connecticut

Connecticut Invention Convention (children's program)

CT State Attorney General

860.808.5318
55 Elm St., Hartford CT 06141-0120

CT Secretary of State

860-509-6002
30 Trinity St., Hartford, CT 06106

Copyright Resources

Copyright Clearance Center: Copyright Clearance Center is the world's premier provider of copyright licensing and compliance solutions for the information content industry. We are a trusted intermediary between copyright holders and content users, facilitating the exchange of reuse rights and royalties through a wide range of licensing services.

Copyright Society of the USA (CSUSA): The principal goal of CSUSA is to provide a broad range of resources to foster and support copyright awareness.

Creative Commons: The goal of Creative Commons is to build a layer of reasonable, flexible copyright in the face of increasingly restrictive default copyright rules.