Patents, Trademarks and Copyright

The U.S. Patents collection is the largest and most comprehensive source of scientific and technical information in the world, with more than 8 million patents issued as of September 2008.  An estimated 75% - 80% of these patents contain technical information not available in any other source or format.¹

Inventors, scientists, engineers, historians, students, government officials, and marketing researchers can use the patent collection to:

* determine the patentability of a new idea
* obtain state-of-the-art information in a specific technical area
* find specifications and drawings of patented inventions
* determine the research areas and interests of a particular inventor or company

The Marriott Library is one of 85 U.S. Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs) in the country, and the only PTDL in Utah.  Due to our depository library status, the Marriott Library receives full-text copies of patents with complete specifications, claims, and drawings soon after they are granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  Our collection includes complete U.S. patents on microfilm and optical disks from 1790, and all federal trademarks that are registered or pending.  Our government documents collection contains additional indexes and finding aids for both patents and trademarks.  All PTDL documents and their reference materials may be found in the Documents and Microforms Division on the first floor of the Marriott Library.

¹ U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Office of Technology Assessment and Forecast, Washington, D.C. 8th Report, December 1977, p. 37.

SEARCHING U.S. PATENTS AT THE MARRIOTT LIBRARY

Web-based Patent Resources and Searching Tutorials 

International Patent Search Sites

Selected Commercial Patent Services

Publications from the US Patent and Trademark Office

Patent, Trademark and Copyright Bibliography

SEARCHING U.S. TRADEMARKS AT THE MARRIOTT LIBRARY

SEARCHING U.S. COPYRIGHT AT THE MARRIOTT LIBRARY