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Patents and Trademarks

Patents and Trademarks

Evansdale Library is the only Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) in the state of West Virginia. On December 2, 1991, Evansdale Library was designated a U.S. Patent and Trademark Depository Library. As a PTRC, the library receives current copies of U.S. Plant Patents, provides access to USPTO patent and trademark databases. All the tools necessary to perform a preliminary patent or trademark search are available in the library. The patent and trademark librarian, Terra Rogerson, provides reference assistance throughout the state and teaches users how to search patent and trademark databases.

Virtual Assistance Program for Pro Se Inventors is available to those able to come to Morgantown PTRC (Evansdale Library) to meet with a USPTO patent examiner via a WebEx connection.  

Make an appointment with Terra Rogerson by calling (304)-293-7702 or sending an e-mail to terra.rogerson@mail.wvu.edu.

Other formats include:

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

Hours

All Patent and Trademark resources may be accessed during regular Evansdale library hours.

Printing and Copying

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

Services and Disclaimer

The Evansdale Library reference staff are available to provide assistance with your search. However, they are not permitted to interpret intellectual property law or offer legal advice. Services provided by West Virginia University and its employees are of an advisory 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.

Contact

If you have questions about the U.S. Patent and Trademark Resource Center, contact: Terra Rogerson at: terra.rogerson@mail.wvu.edu or (304) 293-7702.

Websites

U.S. Patents

  • USPTO Web Patent Database - 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.
  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Office - Comprehensive United States patent portal. Official site of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
  • 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

Trademarks

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

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.

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.