This is a website of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, an agency of the Department of Commerce. The site takes you step-by-step through the process needed to obtain a patent, starting with a patent search to see if your idea has already been patented and what type of application you should file. The Intellectual Property (IP) subpage http://www.uspto.gov/ip/index.jsp contains numerous recourses for understanding IP laws, policy and implementation, including enforcement, governing boards, counsels and offices. There is also a subpage on IP training and education http://www.uspto.gov/ip/training/index.jsp with an overview of the various programs (e.g. copyright, trademark, enforcement), and a calendar of training programs and facilities. Of particular utility are the recorded “E-Learning” modules provides at http://www.uspto.gov/ip/training/elearn.jsp. These modules have individual audio/video recordings for each slide. Six “E-Learning” modules are available on topics such as copyright, trademark, international standards, and each video is available in English, Spanish, French, Russian and Arabic. The recorded modules are only viewable through the website and are not available for downloads. Everything you ever wanted to know about patents is provided herein!
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