Trade marks

British Library: Business and Patents

This British Library webpage introduces the BL’s collection guides to a range of materials including patents, trademarks, business and management studies and trade literature from 1880–1940. The British Library is the UK’s national patent library and holds British patent documents, official journals, patent law reports and patent specifications from over 40 countries and international authorities. A guide to patents and patenting your invention is also provided.

Canadian Trademarks Database

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office's Canadian Trademarks Database enables users to search for all active and many inactive trademarks in Canada along with words and designs that are not strictly trademarks. Keywords can be used in a variety of search fields including owner name, trademark description and registration number. Trademarks can also be searched by date, category and status. Records can be downloaded in full and there is guidance on searching the database. Users can search either an English or French language version of the same database.

Journal of Intellectual Property Law

Website for the Journal of Intellectual Property Law, edited by students of the University of Georgia School of Law. The journal is published biannually, and focuses on issues of interest to the intellectual property legal community, including patent, trademark, copyright, unfair trade, entertainment and other related topics. The journal includes scholarly articles from leading academics and practising lawyers, as well as student notes. The site includes tables of contents for the current issue, and full-text of the previous issues, although some issues have been omitted completely.

J-PlatPat (Japan Platform for Patent Information)

Free searchable database with English interface providing information on Japanese patents, utility models, designs, and trademarks issued by the Japan Patent Office. Users can search a range of resources applicable to the different types of industrial property including applications, gazettes and bibliographies. A simple search option uses keyword or number searching and an advanced search provides additional parameters eg. date, classification etc. The site also has trial decisions and online help with using the database and the Japanese design classification scheme. 

Hungarian Intellectual Property Office

The website of the Hungarian Patent Office provides guidance and legal information on obtaining patents and trademarks in Hungary. Copies of Hungarian laws and regulations are provided online along with contact details of Hungarian patent agents. The site also includes information on plant variety protection, utility model protection, trademarks, designs and copyright issues in Hungary. The Hungarian Industrial Property Database, which has information on patents, utility models, trademarks and designs protected in Hungary, is free to search on the site.

Trademark and Patent Assignments on the Web

The Trademark Assignments and Patent Assignments on the Web databases are provided by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and made freely available on their website. The trademark database provides information on ownership of trademarks from 1955 to date and patent information is available from 1980 onwards. The database can be searched using a range of criteria including registration or serial number and by assignor or assignee name, applicant name or registrant name.

Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks

Information about the Madrid System For the International Registration of Trademarks, on the World Intellectual Property Organization's website. The site gives an overview of the System, along with a more detailed procedural guide. The relevant legal texts are made available, including the Madrid Protocol, the Madrid Agreement, Common Regulations and Administrative Instructions. Information notices relating to changes or amendments in the system are provided, along with forms and other details.

ADLAW By Request

Website of ADLAW By Request, Reed Smith's free online advertising and marketing law E-magazine. The site features news, press releases, and feature articles in several sections including In the Courts and International. An archive of Adlaw by Request is also available.

Williams Powell

Willams Powell is a London-based firm of patent and trade mark attorneys. Their website gives a brief introduction to and definitions of patents, trade marks, design and copyright. General guidance is provided on filing a patent, writing a patent specification, patent searching and the likely costs involved. There is also advice on choosing and registering trade marks. Advice for overseas patent and trade mark attorneys is given on the site and brief guidance for people wishing to register patents or trade marks abroad.
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