We are a Patent and Trademark Resource Center!

As a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC), the Penn State University Libraries mission is to support our students, entrepreneurs, and the public with finding patent and trademark information and application materials.

Patent law is very important in new product development because patents can tell you if someone else already has a claim on a product idea.

• Please note that while PhD students must always assign patent licenses to Penn State, undergraduate students typically do not!
  • The only exception is if a student receives compensation for their research by Penn State.

Where do you start?

Always begin with a "prior art" search by exploring different databases to find out whether someone else already has an idea similar to yours:

1. Explore business databases to find what the latest product ideas are and how they may be impacting business and industries.
2. Explore patent applications and issued patents in the official database of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
   1. Full text searching from 1976 to the present and limited searching back to 1790.
3. Explore patent applications and issued patents in Google Patents.
   1. Imported and scanned patents from the U.S. and several other countries. Only full text search for pre-1976 U.S. patents.

The Penn State Law Intellectual Property Clinic provides pro bono (free) intellectual property (IP) counseling services to Pennsylvania individuals, startups, and small businesses with limited financial resources. IP includes patents, trademarks, copyright, and trade secrets.

• Contact: Andrew Sherman, J.D., asherman@psu.edu

The Office of Innovation Development of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office provides Pro Se (in one's own behalf) assistance and resources for inventors filing for a patent without the help of an attorney or agent.