Copyrights and Patents
U.S. federal documents have no copyright restrictions, but joint or privatized products or title may have. Most non-U.S. federal government documents are covered by the copyright laws.
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) - Search full-text of U.S. patents from 1976 to present, and patent applications from March 2001 - Patents issued between 1790 and 1976 are searchable only by patent number and current U.S. classification
Google Patent Search - full-text searching from 1776 to the present via Google.
U.S. Library of Congress - Search copyright records of registrations and ownership documents since 1978
U.S. Copyright Office - website for Library of Congress section which provides the government with expertise on intellectual property issues
Computer Crime and Intellectual Property - a section of the U.S. Department of Justice which investigates computer and intellectual property crimes
Intellectual Property Rights - U.S. State Department's overview of intellectual property rights with a focus on international commerce
World Intellectual Property Organization - a specialized United Nations agency founded in 1969 to promote intellectual property throughout the world through cooperation