Patents and Trademarks | Libraries | West Virginia University

Patents and Trademark Resource Center

On December 2, 1991, Evansdale Library was designated a U.S. Patent and Trademark Resource Center (formerly known as a Patent and Trademark Depository Library). Evansdale Library is the only PTRC in the state of West Virginia. As a PTRC, the library receives current copies of U.S. Plant Patents and provides reference materials about the patent and trademark process. The patent and trademark librarian Bridget Wipf provides reference assistance throughout the state and teaches users how to search patent and trademark databases, navigate the USPTO’s resources, and understand the patent and trademark application processes.

Disclaimer

WVU Libraries PTRC Representatives cannot provide legal advice or perform patent and trademark searches on your behalf. Services provided by West Virginia University and its employees are of an educational nature only with no express or implied warranty for results. West Virginia University assumes no obligation or liability for damage arising from the use or inability to use the information provided.

Hours

All physical Patent and Trademark resources may be accessed during regular Evansdale library hours. Meetings with patent and trademark librarians are by appointment only and can be held in person at the Evansdale Library or via Zoom.

Contact

Bridget Wipf, Entrepreneurship Librarian
Make an appointment
Bridget.Wipf@mail.wvu.edu

Martin Dunlap, Research Support and Engagement Librarian
Make an appointment
Martin.Dunlap@mail.wvu.edu
(304)-293-0314

Printing and Copying

On-site printing and copying is available. Please see the printing information on the Printing, Copying, & Scanning page.

Physical Holdings

Plant Patents in color from 1931 to present
Utility Patents: Paper holdings are at the depository

Specifications and drawings of patents issued from the United States Patent Office with gaps in holdings, 1871-?

CASSIS database discs are at the library depository and include:

USAPAT      Utility, Design and Plant Patents 1790-present
USAApp      Patent Application files 2001- present
USAMark     Trademarks issued 1870-present

Helpful Online Resources

U.S. Patent & Trademark Office - Official site of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Intellectual Property Guide
Patents Guide
Authors’ Rights and Copyright Guide
Entrepreneurship Guide

WVU Students, Faculty, and Staff

West Virginia Residents

U.S. Patents

USPTO Patent Public Search - Full text of all US patents issued since January 1, 1976, and full-page images of each page of every US patent issued since 1790.
Patent Lens - Serves global patent and scholarly knowledge as a public good to inform science and technology-enabled problem solving.
Patentscope - The WIPO’s Patentscope allows you to search 74 million patent documents including 3.5 million published international patent applications (PCT).

Foreign Patents

European Patent Office - By filing a single patent application in one of the three official languages (English, French, or German) it is possible to obtain patent protection in all 18 member states of the EPO.

Espacenet - Search 45 million patent documents.

Canadian Intellectual Property Office -

The Canadian Patent Database - lets you access over 75 years of patent descriptions and images. You can search, retrieve and study more than 1,500,000 patent documents.
You can also search the Canadian Trade-marks Database.

Japanese Patent Office

Japanese Patent Search (click on English on upper right hand corner)

Other Intellectual Property Offices - Links from the World Intellectual Property Organization to foreign intellectual property offices

Trademarks

USPTO Trademark Search - Provides an interface to search the existing trademark application and registration information.
Madrid Protocol - Links to FAQs, procedures and guides, laws and rules about the Madrid Protocol which is an international treaty that allows a trademark owner to seek registration in any of the countries that have joined the Madrid Protocol by filing a single application, called an "international application." The International Bureau of the World Property Intellectual Organization , in Geneva, Switzerland administers the international registration system.
How to Register a Trademark or Service Mark in WV - Provides information on Protecting A Mark in West Virginia including registration, searches and forms and fees.
Search WV Marks (use advanced search) and see also the Business Organization Search.

Copyrights

United States Copyright Office - A complete set of copyright forms and circulars is available for downloading. Copyright office records from 1978 to the present.

Legal Resources

Patent Attorneys and Agents: Listing by Geographic Region - Contact information for attorneys and agents with licenses to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Consolidated Patent Laws - The latest published version of the patent laws. Acrobat Reader needed. Title 35 of the United States Code and parts of Title 18.
Consolidated Patent Rules - The latest published version of the patent rules. Acrobat Reader needed. Title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations--Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights.
U.S. Trademark Law - Rules of Practice (Title 37 Code of Federal Regulations) and Federal Statutes (15 United States Code and 35 USC).
Copyright Law and Policy U.S. - Links to Copyright Law, Federal Register Notices, Regulations, Fair Use and other law related materials.
KuesterLaw - Intended to be the most comprehensive resource on the Internet for technology law information.

Inventors and Inventing

Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) - Trade association for owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
USPTO Inventors' Resources - Designed specifically for independent inventors. - Contains information on Patents, Trademarks, Complaints, Brochures, General Information and Contact Telephone numbers.
Wacky Patent of the Month - Selected inventors and their remarkable and unconventional patented inventions.

Vessel Hull Designs

Registration of Vessel Hull Designs - The Vessel Hull Design Protection Act grants an owner of an original vessel hull design certain exclusive rights provided that application for registration of the design with the Copyright Office is made within two years of the design being made public. This page from the U.S. Copyright Office provides an explanation and links to forms needed.
Vessel Hull Registrations - The Copyright Office publishes the registration of vessel hull designs on this web page, listing all registrations in reverse chronological order. Information from the certificate of registration, including the make and model of the vessel that embodies the design ("Title"), the type or style of design ("Design"), the Designers, the Owner, and the Registration Number, are provided for each registration. You may also view the certificate of registration itself, which includes the drawings or photographs that accompanied the application, by clicking on the corresponding registration number.
Design Patents and Vessel Hull Design Copyrights The USPTO provides an explanation of the difference between Vessel Hull Design Copyrights and Design Patents and a link to searching Design Patents.