PTRC
Head, Science and Engineering Library
What is Intellectual Property? 
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.
IP is protected in law through patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create. By striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish. (World Intellectual Property Organization, 2023, https://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/)
Information about Patents and Trademarks can be found using the menu buttons on the left.
Copyright is a form of protection provided to the authors of "original works of authorship" including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, both published and unpublished. For further inforrmation, see the UMass Libraries Copyright & Information Policy Guide, or contact Laura Quilter, the Copyright and Information Policy Librarian, via email at lquilter@library.umass.edu.
IP Identifier
Do you know what types of IP you might have? Do you know how to protect them? Use the USPTO’s IP Identifier to find out the types of IP you might have and learn how to protect them. Start with six basic questions to help identify your IP, then dig in deeper with the advanced questionnaire for each type of IP.
Datasets, Statistics, Facts and Figures
To advance research on matters relevant to intellectual property, entrepreneurship, and innovation, the Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) releases datasets to facilitate economic research on patents and trademarks—an element in the USPTO economics research agenda. OCE offers these data in forms convenient for public use and academic research, consistent with the agency's responsibility to make patent and trademark information open and transparent.
To advance research on matters relevant to intellectual property, entrepreneurship, and innovation, the USPTO releases research datasets for patents and trademarks.
We disseminate public patent and trademark pre-packaged or user-customized bulk data products. Bulk data refers to putting all static data into a file or set of files, so that all of the data can be acquired with downloads.
Links to USPTO and International Patent Statistics and Data Resources
This page provides links to statistics and data from various sites including the USPTO, European Patent Office, and World Intellectual Property Organization, and a listing of links by subject.
Intellectual Property Statistics by the World Intellectual Property Organization
Provides datasets, infographics, charts, facts and figures, etc. for intellectual property worldwide and by country.
