Have a great idea for an invention? Need a patent to protect your invention? Need to know the difference between patents, trademarks, and copyrights? To determine if your invention is novel, unique, and market viable, it is crucial to verify that your idea has not been patented before or does not infringe upon a similar patent. The key is learning how to conduct a patent search in online resources, such as Patent Public Search at the US Patent & Trademark Office site.

Attend onsite or online to learn about the following topics:

• Conduct a Thorough Preliminary Patent Search
• Complete a Prior Art Search, including Non-patent Literature
• Perform a Comprehensive Search with Cooperative Patent Classifications (CPC)
• Learn USPTO’s Patent Searching Multi-step Strategy
• Additional Resources, e.g. business and marketing information    

Georgia Southern University invites you to join us for these workshops from the Patent and Trade Resource Center (PTRC). These complimentary workshops will be delivered under the leadership of Professor John Schlipp, an Intellectual Property Librarian at Georgia Southern University Libraries. He represents the Patent & Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) for the US Patent & Trademark Office at Georgia Southern. John also teaches a new Information Studies credit-bearing course INFO 2350 Workforce Ready: Introduction to Metaliteracy Skills. He has published a textbook entitled Intellectual Property and Information Rights for Librarians (2019, ABC Clio/Bloomsbury) and is an editorial board member for the Journal of the Patent & Trademark Resource Center Association.  

Both workshops are intended to benefit inventors, entrepreneurs, educators, students and legal professionals. The Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) at Georgia Southern can assist you to conduct your own free patent and trademark searches on specialized USPTO databases. Additionally, you can receive one-on-one instruction on the application process, improve awareness of a product field, determine application feasibility and prepare for consulting with an attorney.