This research guide covers the main resources for U.S. federal intellectual property law. It includes individual pages dedicated to the three primary areas of intellectual property law: copyright, patents, and trademarks, as well as a page providing a list of useful electronic sources for general intellectual property law.
For an international intellectual property law research guide, see Jonathan Franklin's International Intellectual Property Law.
Materials included in this guide are located in the University of Chicago Libraries, available via online databases, or on the Internet. Sources marked "Internet" are freely available on the web, while those marked "Online" are available only to members of the University of Chicago community. Due to license restrictions, the law library can only provide access to the legal research systems LexisNexis and Westlaw to current law school students, faculty, and staff.
The Library also provides limited versions of both systems for use by non-Law School patrons. LexisNexis Academic Universe is available to the University of Chicago community and provides access to the full-text U.S. Code and Federal cases, as well as other U.S. Federal and State primary and secondary sources. Westlaw Public Access is a similar service provided by Westlaw and is available only on the five designated computers located in the Wilson Reading Room in the D'Angelo Law Library.