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U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office, an agency within the Department of Commerce, maintains a comprehensive website for information about intellectual property including registration (with the exception of copyright, which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Copyright Office, a department of the Library of Congress).
The Site Index, Site Search, and FAQ sections aid general navigation of this massive site. Specific sections of interest include:
- Frequently Asked Questions about Patents: answers basic questions about the scope of patent protection and the application process. Patent Resources and Guidance contains more comprehensive information, arranged by topic.
- Search for Patents: full-page images of issued patents since 1790, the full-text of issued patents since 1976, and published applications since 2001.
- Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR): provides status and related documents for U.S. Patents and published applications. Status of pending applications may be viewed only through registered access to Private PAIR.
- Types of Patent Applications/Proceedings: explains the different types of available patents, with links to online application materials.
- Forms: all current PTO forms, available in PDF format.
- Trademark FAQ: covers definitions of trademark types, basic questions about the application process, and tips for searching the trademark database.
- Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS): searches more than four million pending, currently-registered, and inactive trademarks.
- Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS): allows online submission of official trademark application forms.
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- Online Services: provides business owners with a portal to frequently-accessed information on filing and searching patents and trademarks.
- Inventors Resources: provides inventors who are seeking intellectual property protection with quick access to information and publications of interest.
- Patent & Trademark Resource Centers: provides information about the program in which libraries receive copies of patents and related materials, and lists participating libraries across the U.S.
- Products & Services: includes statistical reports as well as other PTO publications