Gallagher Law Library - UW School of Law

Patent Law Resources

Updated June 24, 2008.
Prepared by Shannon Malcolm, Law Librarianship Intern

Legal Research Guides

This page identifies selected print and commercial and free online sources useful to patent law researchers. For information on searching for patents themselves, see the guides provided by the UW Engineering Library, which is a patent depository.

Note: Links to LexisNexis and Westlaw databases require logon IDs and passwords.

Primary Sources

Constitution

U.S. Const., art. I, � 8, cl. 8; Section 8
"The Congress shall have power . . . To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries . . . .

Statutes

35 U.S.C.. Title 35 deals with Patents.

Regulations

37 C.F.R. 1-150, 401-404, 501. Title 37 deals with Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights.

Code of Federal Regulations

Case Law

United States Patent Quarterly (USPQ) contains the full text of cases from federal courts and several administrative agencies. LexisNexis Westlaw
  • FIP-CS, intellectual property cases from federal courts.
  • FIP-CTA, U.S. Court of Appeals and Court of Customs and Patent Appeals.
  • FIP-FEDCL, U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims website has rules, forms, and opinions from July 3, 1997 to date.

  • U.S. Claims Court Reporter (1982-92). KF125.C5C53 at Compact Stacks
  • Federal Claims Reporter (1993-date). KF125.C5C53 at Compact Stacks

Administrative Decisions

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, combined administrative decisions

Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences

Commissioner for Patents U.S. Customs and Border Protection

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Secondary Sources

Periodicals

Finding Periodical Articles

  • Current Patent Literature, a notification service about new law review articles, is available as an RSS feed from the University of Texas Tarlton Law Library.
  • Legal Resource Index / LegalTrac. Indexes law reviews and other legal periodicals, from 1980 to date. Search by keyword or by subject. Relevant subject headings include Inventions, Inventors, Patent Infringement, Patent Law, and Patents (International Law).
  • Current Index to Legal Periodicals. Indexes law reviews; faster to index law reviews that LegalTrac. Relevant subject heading is Intellectual Property Law.
  • SmartCILP, a weekly e-mail notification service indexing new law review articles. UW users should contact the Reference Office for a password.
  • Legal Scholarship Network [UW Restricted].

For perspectives from other disciplines, try business and social science indexes through UW Libraries Research Databases,  Consult indexes and databases listed on the UW Resources by Subject page under Aeronautics & Astronautics, Bioengineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Earth & Space Sciences, Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Medicine, Physics, and related subjects.

Selected Specialized Patent Journals & Newsletters

These journals and newsletters include the word "patent" in their titles. Many other journals and newsletters cover patent issues generally. Use an index (identified above) or search journal and law review databases on LexisNexis or Westlaw.

Books

Dictionary

Modern Patent Law Precedent: Dictionary of Key Terms and Concepts, 5th ed.

  • KF3109.A35 2003 at Classified Stacks
  • Westlaw: MPATLAWP.

Handbooks

  • Manual of Patent Examining Procedure, 8th ed.
  • An Introduction to Patent Law, 2d ed. KF3114.M84 2006 at Reference Area
  • Patent Law and Practice, 4th ed. KF3120.S38 2003 at Classified Stacks
  • Patent Law Basics. Westlaw: PATBASICS
  • Patent Law Essentials: A Concise Guide. KF3114.3.D87 2004 at Reference Area
  • Patent Law Handbook. Westlaw: PATLAWHAND
  • Principles of Patent Law. KF3114.S34 2004 at Reference Area
  • What Is a Patent?: A Guide for the IP Lawyer. KF3114.3.W453 2001 at Reference Area

Treatises

  • Chisum, Patents: A Treatise on the Law of Patentability, Validity, and Infringement. 13 vols.
  • Moy's Walker on Patents, 4th ed. 3 vols.
    • KF3114.M69 2003 at Classified Stacks
    • Westlaw: MOY-PAT
  • Patent Law Fundamentals. 5 vols.
    • KF3114.R66 1980 at Classified Stacks
    • Westlaw: PATLAWF
  • Patent Law Perspectives, 2d ed. 8 vols.

Formbooks and Forms

  • Patent License Agreements: Law and Forms. KF3145.A65N6 at Classified Stacks
  • Patent Licensing: Strategy, Negotiation, Forms.
  • Westlaw

How-To Books

  • Patent It Yourself, 12th ed. KF3114.6.P74 2006 at Reference Area
  • The Inventor's Notebook: A "Patent It Yourself" Companion. KF3114.6.G75 2005 at Reference Area
  • How To Write a Patent Application (1992, updated 2004)

Practice Materials

Online Resources

Commercial Databases

  • LexisNexis > Area of Law by Topic > Patent Law. See also links to specific sources and group files throughout this guide. New Attorney Reference Card: Patent Law
  • Westlaw: See Intellectual Property under Topical Materials by Area of Practice

Note: Jon R. Cavicchi, Intellectual Property Research Tools and Strategies: Lexis vs. Westlaw for Research--Better, Different, or Same and the QWERTY Effect?, 47 IDEA 363 (2007).

Practical Websites

Blogs

Email Discussion Lists

The ABA maintains several list-servs dedicated to patent law.

E-mail & Online Newsletters

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Foreign & International Sources

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

  • Concordance: United States Patent Classification to International Patent Classification, 2000 ed. T223.F4A56 2000 at Classified Stacks
  • European Patent Law: Law and Procedure Under the EPC and PCT. KJC2725.P7313 1999 at Classified Stacks
  • Foreign Patent Law Applications. T215.L53 at Classified Stacks
  • International Patent Litigation. K1505.4.I57 1983 at Reference Area
  • The TRIPS Regime of Patent Rights. K1505.C37 2002 at Classified Stacks
  • The WIPO Magazine, monthly. Shelved by title at Compact Stacks
  • LexisNexis: Baxter World Patent Law

Online Resources

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