Research Guides: Patents and Trademarks: Education

Welcome to our education page! Here you will recordings from workshops, quick start videos and more.

Have a request for your group? Or an idea for something you would like our PTRC to do? Reach out to the PTRC representative!

Videos & Materials

We hope that you will join us for our Fall 2025 events, including our Constitution Day Celebration!

9/17, 4-7 PM (Hybrid): The Rights of Inventors - Constitution Day Series Kick-Off
9/24, 3-4 PM (Hybrid): Intellectual Property Basics
10/1, 3-4:30 PM (Hybrid): Introduction to Patents
11/12, 3-6 PM: Constitution Day Poster Showcase (register by 10/31 if you wish to present a poster)

Other events in our Constitution Day Series include:

10/8, 3-4:30 PM: Government Information
10/15, 3-4:30 PM: Research Posters
10/22, 3-4:30 PM: Storytelling for Research

(Events are in-person except when offered hybrid this fall.)

This tab has videos intended for any age that are mostly short 5-8 minutes (except for the full non-provisional patents - lots to explain there!). The PDF below has the content covered in each with links to helpful resources too!

Video Shorts Outreach Slides

A Quick Intro to: Intellectual Property

Patents vs TM vs Copyright vs Brands

Digital Inventions & IP Protection

When to think of IP Protection?

Provisional Patents: What & Why?

All About Full Patents (Non-Provisional)

Getting started with a patent!

What is patentable?

Useful: real, not a theory
New/novel: should not exist already (search!)
"Non-obvious" to someone with skills in that area/art

What options do you have to apply?

Provisional Patent (application, valid for 1 year):
- Inexpensive ($65 for micro entity)
- Not examined
- Can buy time for raising money/finding legal help
Non-Provisional Patent (can be granted, valid for 15-20 years depending on type)
- Expensive (fees vary - make sure to file as a micro entity!)
- Fully examined
- If using provisional patent as basis, make sure to keep the same otherwise lose previous protection
- Recommend getting help, preferably legal help for applying (how to find free/low-cost legal help)

DC Regional Area PTRCs & USPTO Locations:

Howard University (DC): libraryguides.howard.edu/ip
University of Maryland (College Park, MD): lib.guides.umd.edu/patent_tm
USPTO Northeast Regional Office (Alexandria, VA): uspto.gov/about-us/uspto-locations/northeast

(And a bit further away)

University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (Princess Anne, MD): umes.edu/fdl/
James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA): lib.jmu.edu/library-locations/rose-library/
Free Library of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA): freelibrary.org/programs/bric/patents-trademarks/

Looking for support in another area? Check USPTO's locations page to find support near you: uspto.gov/about-us/uspto-office-locations

(Check out the Basics tab too for some quick intro videos!)

Patents and Trademarks