Tuskegee University Alumna Helps Push Through Patent and Trademark Resource Center Designation; Tuskegee University, December 19, 2024

Thonnia Lee , Tuskegee University; Tuskegee University Alumna Helps Push Through Patent and Trademark Resource Center Designation

"Thanks to the dedication of Tuskegee University alumna Charesse Evans, Tuskegee University Libraries received official designation as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the federal agency responsible for protecting inventions, creative designs, and other innovations.

This means Tuskegee University can now provide trademark and patent assistance through our library staff.

“As a patent attorney and intellectual property professional with over two decades of experience, I am incredibly proud to have played a role in helping Tuskegee University achieve official designation as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC),” said Evans, a Senior Advisor to Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. “This designation holds particular significance for me, both personally and professionally. Throughout my career, I have collaborated with numerous institutions across the country to support and protect intellectual property. It is an absolute honor to witness my alma mater become an integral part of this essential ecosystem that nurtures the brilliant minds being shaped at the university and within the surrounding community.”...

The Tuskegee University PTRC will support residents who want to patent an invention or register a trademark. The university team is trained to help inventors and small businesses find the information they need to protect their intellectual property."

Patent and trademark office coming to Durango; The Durango Herald, May 18, 2018

Patrick Armijo, The Durango Herald; Patent and trademark office coming to Durango

"Several workshops with officials from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia, are planned for Tuesday and registration for the workshops has been extended until Monday.

The workshop schedule includes: 

9:15-10:30 a.m.: An Overview of Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights and Trade Secrets. 

10:45 to noon: Conducting Preliminary Federal Trademark Search Using USPTO Website.

1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Seven-Step Strategy for Preliminary U.S. Patent Search Using USPTO Databases.  

2:45 to 3:15 p.m.: Non-USPTO Solicitations and Invention Promotion Scams: Asking the Right Questions.

 3:15-4:15 p.m.: A local panel for resources on patent and trademark issues with Ken Freudenberg, an intellectual property attorney; Ryan Finnigan, co-founder of the Maker Lab at the Powerhouse Science Center; Mark Radtke, assistant regional director for the Rocky Mountain Regional Patent and Trademark Office in Denver; John Wolgamott, president of StoneAge Inc.; and Roger Zalneraitis, executive director of La Plata Economic Development Alliance."

USPTO Designates Durango, Colorado Public Library a Patent and Trademark Resource Center; Press Release, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), May 15, 2018

Press Release, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO); USPTO Designates Durango, Colorado Public Library a Patent and Trademark Resource Center

"The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced the grand opening of the newest Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) at the Durango Public Library in Durango, Colorado on Tuesday May 22, 2018. A free public program

(link is external), “Researching Patent and Trademark Information: Essential Information You Need to Protect Your Intellectual Property” will be presented.

The Durango Public Library will be the second PTRC in the State of Colorado. It will serve residents in southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico. The Durango Public Library is in the Four Corners region of Colorado, which includes the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Nations. The library will support entrepreneurs throughout the region seeking patent and trademark protection for their intellectual property. USPTO-trained librarians will assist patrons using the agency’s patent and trademark databases.

PTRCs are a nationwide network of public, state, and academic libraries that provide free services, including assistance in accessing patent and trademark documents, help in using USPTO databases, and aid in identifying resources on the USPTO website. They support inventors, intellectual property attorneys and agents, business people, researchers, entrepreneurs, students, historians, and members of the public unable to visit USPTO campuses. PTRCs also host public seminars on IP topics for novice and experienced innovators.

The PTRC Program began in 1871 when federal law first provided for the distribution of printed patents to public libraries. The addition of the Durango Public Library to the PTRC network makes a total of 86 resource centers located in 48 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

A list of current PTRC libraries can be found on the USPTO's Web site at www.uspto.gov/ptrc."