Bulletin Board

Centers Aid Patent Searches

Researching copyrights and trademarks just got a little easier--and cheaper--thanks to the Great Lakes Patent and Trademark Center in Detroit and the Sunnyvale Center for Innovations, Inventions and Ideas (SCI3) in Sunnyvale, California.

Operating in partnership with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, these two centers offer a full collection of patents and patent images dating back to 1790, as well as a service called X-Search that allows online searches of trademarks. In addition, the centers can get copies of international patents or copies of documents from the patent office. Individuals who need to talk with a patent examiner can use the centers' videoconferencing facilities.

The centers also hold seminars and classes, provide updated information on patents and trademarks, and enable users to file disclosure documents directly with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Most services are fee-based, but the centers provide basic information about patent searches and protecting an invention for free. Call the Detroit center at (800) 547-0619 or (313) 833-3379 and the Sunnyvale location at (408) 730-7290.

This article was originally published in the February 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Bulletin Board.