The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is responsible for granting U.S. patents and registering trademarks. The USPTO web site contains an abundance of useful information on patents and trademarks, which is particularly useful for independent inventors, and searchable databases of patents and trademarks.
The United States Copyright Office is a branch of the Library of Congress, where copyright claims are registered and where documents relating to copyright, such as transfers of rights, may be recorded. The Copyright Office web site contains links to information on copyright law and the procedures for registering copyrights or recording transfers, and a searchable database of Copyright Office records.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, dedicated to developing an international intellectual property system.
Because federal patent and copyright laws preempt state laws on the same subject matter, the state’s role concerning patents and copyrights is quite limited. Trademarks and service marks, however, are governed by both federal and state laws, and trademarks may be registered with both the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and the trademark offices in each of the fifty states. In South Carolina, trademark and service mark registration is administered by the Office of the Secretary of State.
International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce www.stopfakes.gov
Provides helpful information about protecting intellectual property rights at home and abroad.