State

Please note that State trademarks offer nowhere near the same protection as Federally Registered Trademarks.

*State Trademarks In GA 
For information on state trademarks, Incorporations, filings, forms, etc.

Search For State Trademarks Held By Others (All 50 States)
State trademarks are often found at your Secretary of State's Office.  Usually this information can be found under "Trademarks" or "Trade names & Service marks."

Trademark laws in 28 states (must scroll down) 

Federal 

Basic Facts About Federal Trademarks

Federal Trademarks-Frequently Asked Questions

Search For Federal Trademarks Held By Others

Protecting Your Intellectual Property (Consumer-SOS)
Get free email alerts of possible infringement so you can stop others from using your research, trademark or invention. The free tools below will send you an email alert or at least give you a one-stop link to check for updates.

Search For Common Law Trademarks Within Domain Names
Search for word strings within a domain name. Domain
Surfer provides results for registered domains in the .com, .net, and
.org categories.  It does not return results for domain with "on-hold"
status.

International

Registering International Trademarks (Consumer-SOS)

Trademark Search In Other Countries
Search for and find out who own US, Canadian and European Trademarks.

Search For Common Law Trademarks Within Domain Names
Search for word strings within a domain name. Domain
Surfer provides results for registered domains in the .com, .net, and
.org categories.  It does not return results for domain with "on-hold"
status.


Internet

Domain Names & Trademark Law (Nolo.com)
Here's what website builders need to know about trademark law. 

Finding The Guy Who Owns That Domain Name.
To find the name and address of a domain name owner, you can use the WHOIS search service provided by NSI.

Simply enter the domain name and your search results will include a contact name, phone number, address and email address for the domain name's owner.

Protecting Your Intellectual Property (Consumer-SOS)
Get free email alerts of possible infringement so you can stop others from using your research, trademark or invention. The free tools below will send you an email alert or at least give you a one-stop link to check for updates.

For More See The Internet/Domain Names

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Trade Secrets

Protecting Your Trade Secrets (Nolo)

Georgia Non-Compete Agreements (Consumer-SOS)
Learn when they're void or enforceable.

Protecting Your Intellectual Property (Consumer-SOS)
Get free email alerts of possible infringement so you can stop others from using your research, trademark or invention. The free tools below will send you an email alert or at least give you a one-stop link to check for updates.

See Also Other Information

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Patents

Differences Between Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights
How to protect your name, invention or creative work.

US Patent Database
Search for existing patents by the name of the owner, the patent number or patent description.

Protecting Your Intellectual Property (Consumer-SOS)
Get free email alerts of possible infringement so you can stop others from using your research, trademark or invention. The free tools below will send you an email alert or at least give you a one-stop link to check for updates.

Patents And Your Rights (Nolo Articles)

See Other Information

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Copyrights

Differences Between Patents, Trademarks & Copyrights
How to protect your name, invention or creative work.

The US Copyright Office
Search for copyrights or file your own. Also has frequently asked questions about copyrights.

The Educator's Guide To Copyright & Fair Use

Avoiding Patent, Trademark & Copyright Problems (SBA)
Learn how to avoid infringing the rights of others and the importance of protecting your own rights.

Protecting Your Intellectual Property (Consumer-SOS)
Get free email alerts of possible infringement so you can stop others from using your research, trademark or invention. The free tools below will send you an email alert or at least give you a one-stop link to check for updates.

See Other Information

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Other

General Forms For All Occasions (The 'Lectric Law Library)
Scroll down their forms page for forms on general business matters, living wills, power of attorney, promissory notes, employment and contracting.

Small Business-Find Answers To Many Of Today's
Most Common Legal Problems
Learn about: Avoiding Litigation, Preventing Wrongful Discharge Suits, Financing a Business, Firing an Employee, Forming a Partnership or Corporation, Hiring an Employee, IRS Audits, Debt Collection, Starting a Business, Tax Returns and more.

Online Brochures On Over 100 Business Issues (SBA)

Other Intellectual Property Links (With Descriptions)

Find The SBA Office Nearest You (All 50 States & DC)

Protecting Your Intellectual Property (Consumer-SOS)
Get free email alerts of possible infringement so you can stop others from using your research, trademark or invention. The free tools below will send you an email alert or at least give you a one-stop link to check for updates.

Find Your Secretary Of State (All 50 States)
Your Secretary Of State often has information on corporations & incorporating, state trademarks and licensing boards.

Brand Name Lookup (Ad Redbook Homepage)
At the mid-top of the page click on brand name lookup and find the company behind the product. Then call 1800-555-1212 for the company's toll free #. 

Thomas' Food Industry Register can tell a company's name, address and phone number, the products it produces and the government agencies that regulate both the products and the company itself.

Information On US & International Companies
Find the company behind the brand name, where they're located, their financial info, their officers, subsidiaries, who they advertise with, what media they use, and more. Refers you to a library-May have to buy or reserve the book.

For More Resources & Great Tips, Check Out  Nolo.com

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Email alerts may indicate if your work has been copied, or if someone is infringing on your trademark or patent.  Also track the changes made to your competitor’s website, or see if a competing trademark application is now ripe for opposition.
 

Index of Ways to Monitor IP and Capture Evidence of Infringement:

·         Has Your Work Been Copied?
Sites that detect plagarism.

·         Were Your Emails Hacked?
Free alerts on current email accounts so you'll know if they're compromised.

·         Monitor For Potential Trademark Infringement
Free alerts. Scope out websites too similar to your own and receive key word alerts.

·         Monitor For Potential Patent Infringement
Free alerts. Keep tabs on certain inventors or when similar patents are published for opposition.

·         Capture Videos That May Infringe Your Copyright, Trademark Or Patent
Learn how to grab them from a website that doesn't want you to.

·         Track Changes Made To Your Competitor's Website-Past, Present  & Future
Free alerts.

·         Track The Buying, Selling Or Transfer of Domain Names Similar To Your Trademark
Free alerts.

·         See When Your Key Words Appear In Google, Yahoo, Twitter, Facebook, or on Your Competitor's Website
Free alerts.

·         YouTube Alerts When Someone Posts Your Video or Is Using Your Brand Name
Free alerts.

How To Find Out If Your Work Has Been Copied
Every teacher knows there are plenty of free online resources to detect copying.  Use the links below to find those websites which may be illegally copying your content and warn them to remove it.  Also learn if someone has posted your song or video on YouTube with free YouTube Alerts.  Then track the changes to their websites to confirm they’ve complied.

You may also need to demonstrate that you were the first to create, use or invent your IP.  Use Google or Bing’s cache function or the Wayback Machine to track changes made to your competitor's website.  This can show they copied from you and not the reverse.  You can also discover exactly when their website was created by doing a WHOIS lookup on their web address.  For example: through WHOIS, you can show their website was from 1999 while your copyright was from 1994.  WHOIS will also often have the information you need to reach the website owner or administrator.

Find Their Websites & Domain Names Through Their Name, Company Name, Email or Username
Their websites may show they've copied your work, stole customer lists, appropriated your product or invention or that your ex employees are competing against you.
Once you get a list of sites, do a Whosis lookup to find their emails, mailing addresses and phone #s. For Best Results: Search by all 4 if you have this info. An email address may turn up sites not listed under their business, and vice versa.

To background a potential infringer or find their contact information, click here.

Free Links That Detect Online Copying

Copyscape
Enter in each page of the website that you want to monitor for copying.  The site will return the top ten websites that have the exact same content along with a percentage of what could have been copied.  If no matches are found, all the better.

Other Sites To Detect Copying

Also, you'll want to monitor domain names and get free email alerts on the buying, selling or transfer of domain names similar to your trademark.  Domain names are not trademarks in themselves.  However, domain names can infringe trademarks whenever such are used to identify someone's goods or services.  If you find a website under construction with a similar domain name, you’ll definitely want to monitor it, to see if they later begin using it as a trademark.

Once you find a term similar or identical to your trademark, search the USPTO to see if someone has filed a federal trademark application.  If you find they've filed for a federal trademark, write down the serial number and then track the filing to see if it's been approved or rejected (Free Email Alerts based on TM serial #).  If you get an email alert that the trademark is ready to be approved, you'll have 30 days or less to oppose the registration.

Email Alerts on USPTO Filings
Learn by email when a trademark filing of your competitor has been approved or rejected.  This site tracks pending trademarks (your own or others) by TM serial #.  Just sign up at this free account and create an alert. (Go to case tracking tab, and add a new case, and then enter in trademark serial number that you got on USPTO.gov).

For example: Say your competitor owned the website www.webmd.com.  If you made a Google Alert with www.webmd.com Actos, you should get an alert whenever WebMD adds a new section or article on Actos.  You can also make an email alert with your subject’s first and last name to receive alerts whenever Google finds their name in new blogs, news articles, Facebook or other websites.

For more on using Google Alerts, click here.  Also, be sure to make some test alerts so you can refine what you’re looking for.  For example: try using your own name, or the name of your company with a few key terms likely to trigger an alert.  Then when you change your website, see what alerts you get, if any.  

See also:

Twitter Alerts (TweetBeep)

YouTube Alerts (Free)
Learn if someone has posted a video on Youtube with a description showing they've copied or infringed your intellectual property.

http://www.video-alerts.com/
Their free service allows tracking of up to 10 keywords, and updates once per day. Stay updated about your industry, market and competition and learn when someone reviews your product, or just mentions it in his video. (I tested this one and it works!)

Back to Spotting Infringers

Free Email Alerts on The Buying, Selling or Transfer of Domain Names Similar To Your Trademark
Whether you want to buy the name yourself or monitor if someone else is using your trademark, these sites can help you discover if a domain has been bought or sold, is about to expire, and who it now belongs to. (Also good to keep track of when your own domain names need to be renewed.)

Domain Name Alerts and Notifications (Free)
Get an email alert for many different status changes, such as when a domain becomes registered, when it drops and becomes available, when it's renewed, or even when the WHOIS registrant info changes.

Online Domain Monitor (Free)
Email alerts when there’s changes of the domain's status, changes in its availability or validity, changes in the domain's registrar or name server.

Domain Monitor Free Sign In Page To Monitor up to 100 Domain Names (No Longer Free)
Domain Monitor lets you keep a watchful eye on your domains...or anyone else's.  Expiration dates, status changes—just enter the domain names you want to monitor and they’ll notify you about crucial changes to any domain name's Whois record on an ongoing basis.

Back to Spotting Infringers


How To Monitor For Potential Patent Infringement
Patent infringement is much harder to monitor than copyright or trademark infringement. The obvious reason is that there’s no set vocabulary to describe a patent.  This makes a key word search more challenging.  Also, it’s not always clear from a website if they are actually infringing.  However, you can sign up for free email alerts to see if terms describing your patent or patented process appear in Google or on your competitor's website. In addition, you can search the USPTO Patent Application Alert System for applications on the verge of becoming patents.

If you find a website that seems to be infringing, you can track changes to this website from the past to the present and receive alerts if future changes are made to it.  You can also get free updates on new patent filings from your client, competitor or company employees and even download company videos that show infringement.

Find Their Websites & Domain Names Through Their Name, Company Name, Email or Username
Their websites may show they've appropriated your product or invention or that your ex employees are competing against you. Once you get a list of sites, do a Whosis lookup to find their emails, mailing addresses and phone #s. For Best Results: Search by all 4 if you have this info. An email address may turn up sites not listed under their business, and vice versa.

If you want to background a potential infringer or find their contact information, click here.

Back to Spotting Infringers

Get Free Updates On New Patent Filings from Your Client, Competitor or Company Employees

Patent Application Alert Service (PAAS Log in Page)
Free service with USPTO that sends out email alerts when patent applications are about to become patents. Get alerts whenever there's an application with a particular owner, inventor or assignee. Or set up an alert based on a few words in the patent description field. You can do both by adding another search layer, and then entering key terms. For example: you can get alerts for all patents owned or assigned by Apple and then add another level with also searches for the term "speech" or "voice recognition".

FreePatentsOnline-Alerts
Unlike, PAAS, which currently won't give alerts for prior art, this free service does. But you can't get alerts unless you do their free sign up. Freepatentsonline pulls up newly issued patents, i.e. those just granted. Because the patents have already issued, you can see more and search more than with patent applications.  For example: Set up an alert for Apple Patents but then do another alert for Apple patents that cite your inventor in their prior art. Result: You can see which patents should have cited your inventor and didn't.  And if they did cite your art, you can fight an invalidity challenge in court or at an IPR hearing by showing how your patent is similar to others newly issued and that your patent is therefore also valid.

     Free Patent Alert Services-Describes Fresh Patent and Patent Alert

Back to Spotting Infringers


Tracking When A Website Changes: The Past, The Present And The Future
Knowing what a defendant’s website looks like, past, present and future can be useful to show the company knew of the incident, acted in bad faith or never acted at all.  Changes could also show the defendant had knowledge of your patent, or that their idea, invention or policy, spontaneously developed from nowhere, or was the result of a number of iterations.

For The Present Version of a Website
Simply go to the website and print each page into a PDF.  Then save it to your hard drive.  If you don’t have the software to print to pdfs, pdf 995 is a free program that allows you to convert web pages and other documents to a pdf file.

For Past Versions of a Website
Use The Way Back Machine to see how the site looked at a specific date or how it developed over the years; or search for the website on Google or Bing and then use the Google or Bing cache function to see how the site looked just a few months/weeks ago.

To Get New Versions of a Website You Are Tracking (receive emails showing the exact changes, cross outs, additions, etc.)

Sign up for ChangeDetection.com.  It’s free and you can list multiple links and map out a whole website to see if anything was added or removed to those webpages.  If text has been changed, you’ll receive an email with the cross outs and additions.  You can also detect changes by making Google Alerts to learn if your target website is adding new terms or new products, etc.  For example: If you made a Google Alert with www.webmd.com cancer, you should receive an alert whenever WebMD adds a new section or article on cancer.

For more on using Google Alerts, click here.

Back to Spotting Infringers


Capture Videos That May Infringe Your Copyright, Trademark or Patent
Sometimes a website will have a video which can be used as proof they’ve infringed your intellectual property.  To save this video, move your mouse over the video, right click and see if you can select “Save As.”  This is the easiest way but it often won’t work.  Many companies have no interest in letting you download their videos.  However, they do have an interest in advertising.  So find where they advertise and see if you can download it from there.

For example: If a video cannot be found or retrieved through a company website, you can often find it on YouTube.  Also, Cnet.com has lots of virus free software including a free YouTube Downloader.

Downloading Videos With Google Chrome
Google Chrome can in some cases allow you to copy the video directly from the infringing website.

1.   Download Google Chrome

2.   Go to website with video

5.   Right Click on desired link and save to desktop (This will not work on I.E. Explorer, Use Google Chrome).

Other Ways To Download Embedded Videos

1. Play the entire embedded video. Let the entire video play to its conclusion.

2. Open the temporary internet file folder in Internet Explorer. Select "Tools" from the main menu. Then choose "Internet Options" from the Tools menu. Under the general tab click on "Settings" in the browsing history section of the General tab. Click on "View Files." This folder is the temporary Internet folder.

3. Arrange the files in the temporary folder by size. Click on the folder heading entitled size and arrange the files from largest to smallest. Typically the embedded video file that was just viewed will be one of the largest files in the folder.

5. Open the destination folder and paste the embedded video file. With the destination folder open choose "Edit" from the main menu. From the main menu select "Paste," now the file is available to view anytime.

Download Embedded Video Using Firefox

1.  Download and install the Firefox extension greasemonkey. Once the extension is installed reopen the Firefox browser. Choose "Tools" from the main menu. In this menu there should be new options entitled "User script command," "Manage user scripts," and "Install user script."

2. Install the unembed greasemonkey script. When the embed extension is opened it looks like a plain text file. Under the main menu, select "Tools" and under the tools menu select "Install user script." A dialogue window will appear from this window choose "OK."

3. Go to the website that contains the embedded video to download.  If the greasemonkey extension was installed successfully there should be a link to download the video at the bottom of the embedded video. Click on that link to download the embedded video.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_2066698_download-embedded-videos.html

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Counseling and Training Resources 

8(a) Workshops 
The 8(a) Program is SBA's effort to promote equal access for socially and economically disadvantaged individuals to participate in the business sector of the nation's economy. Socially and economically disadvantaged individuals include Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian Pacific Americans and Subcontinent Asian Americans. Individuals not members of these minority groups who can demonstrate that they are socially and economically disadvantaged also may be eligible. 

Service Corps of Retired Executives 
More than 12,400 volunteers in the provide training and one-on-one counseling at no charge. 

Small Business Development Centers 
SBDCs provide training, counseling, research and other specialized assistance at nearly 1000 locations nationwide. 

Business Information Centers 
Business Information Centers (BICs) provide a one-stop location where current and future small business owners can receive assistance and advice.

U.S. Export Assistance Centers 
USEACs offer a full range of federal export programs and services from a number of federal agencies under one roof. Many locations have new-to-export programs called E-TAP. 

Women's Business Centers 
SBA's network of more than 60 Women's Business Centers (WBC) provide a wide range of services to women entrepreneurs at all levels of business development.

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Introduction and Overview

To get world wide trademark protection in over 80 countries, you'll want to take advantage of the two major treaties on trademarks.  By doing so you can secure your trademarks through registration in two nations instead of eighty.

And if you're filing with a non-treaty nation, it is likely you will be required to use one of their own lawyers and file the application in their native language. 


EUROPEAN UNION TRADEMARK INFORMATION (OHIM)

For an overview check out www.hg.org/1413.html
and www.slw.dk/english/european.htm



FOR INFORMATION ON THE WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORG (WIPO)and the Madrid Union

List Of Madrid Member Nations 

Fees For Filing Under Madrid

General Information On Madrid

www.wipo.int/madrid/en/index.html

www.wipo.int/eng/newindex/madrid.htm

Trademark Protection In Other Countries Not Listed Above

Trademark Law In Countries Not In Madrid or OHIM

For Existing International Trademark Treaties including the Paris convention

For Actual Members of the Paris Convention
Patience. The long downloading time is worth the wait!

International Treaties to Protect Patents & Trademarks


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Related Topics
Contracts
Credit & Debt
Lawyers, Courts & Self Help
Occupational Licensing Boards
Public Records
Scams & Cons
Taxes
The Work Place


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Resources

One Stop Capital Shop (404) 853-7675  
This Atlanta business assistance center offers the technical and financial advice needed to start your own business. 

Here, entrepreneurs have access to a variety of services including a computer lab, library and free business advice from professional counselors.  One Stop also offers free and low cost classes on how to write your own business plan, raise money for business expansion, repair your credit, and advertise your services.  They can even help you print flyers and business cards  for your grand opening.  

The U.S. Small Business Administration (404) 529-9865  
                                  or (404) 529-9808  
Their service core of retired executives gives valuable free advice and referrals.  Learn how to incorporate, obtain a loan, make effective business proposals, presentations and where and how to advertise.  The U.S. Small Business   Administration also offers low cost seminars for those who need more information on these subjects.

E-LOAN  
Licensed in at least 40 states, E-LOAN allows consumers to apply for a a small business loan via e-mail. On this site, consumers can search for the best rates on everything from mortgages to credit cards to home equity loans. It costs nothing to apply for a loan and your application will get a response within 24 to 48 hours.

The Consumer Information Center (800) 664-4435 Check out their free consumer publications. Get Their free book with important federal, state and non-profit help agencies.  They also have a consumer help line  open between 10 am. and 2 pm., Eastern Standard Time.  

Counseling & Training Resources 

The Federal Web Locator
Through this web site, cyberconsumers can link to the electronic doorsteps of federal departments, agencies, commissions and quasi official agencies.

The Aspen Institute (202) 736-5800
This non-profit group lists 328 microenterprise programs that extend small loans to help businesses get started.  Their directory of Micro Enterprise programs costs $15.

The Council On Foundations (202) 466-6512 Provides contact numbers for local foundations.

Foundation Center (800) 424-9836 or (404) 880-0095   
The Foundation Center can direct you free of charge, to the organizations most likely to give grants to your cause.  Their directories will help you locate grant makers by subject, geographic area and a variety of other factors.  

The Foundation Center will answer quick reference question over the phone, but it won't do your research for you.  It's up to you to make your own personal list of potential donors based on what you find in their library.  The Foundation Center also has information on how to set up and manage foundations and other types of non-profit organizations.

Guidestar (800) 421-8656 or (800) 424-9836 Guidestar gathers and disseminates information on over one million 501(C)(3) organizations. Guidestar's extensive database classifies each organization by subject and can find donor organizations willing to assist you.

For information on Small Business Investment Companies which provide equity-capital, long term loans, debt equity   investments and management assistance to small business, write to:   

Investment Division
U.S. Small Business Administration, 409 Third St., SW

Washington, DC 20416 or check out www.sba.gov/inv
on the Internet. 

Free Money To Change Your Life, by Matthew Lesko
This book lists 15,000 federal and state programs that provide free money to help people look for work or start businesses.