DATE: August 17, 2012
MEDIA CONTACT: Catherine McElrath
PHONE: 954-357-7402
EMAIL:  cmcelrath@browardlibrary.org

If necessity is the mother of invention, then patents and trademarks must be the founding father – without them, a great idea will never become a great invention. Learn all about patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets at Patent and Trademarks 101, a free seminar for inventors, entrepreneurs, educators, students and legal professionals to be held on Thursday, September 6 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the 6th Floor, 6E Meeting Area, at Main Library, 100 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. Patent and Trademark 101 is presented by the Patent and Trademark Resource Center Program Office of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

The day’s program will include an overview of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets as well as how to conduct patent and federal trademark searches using the USPTO website and a discussion on the “right” questions to ask when working with an invention promotion firm.

Attendees will also learn about the services and resources available at the Broward County Main Library’s Patent and Trademark Resource Center, a library designated by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to receive and house copies of U.S. patents and patent and trademark materials; to make them freely available to the public; and to actively disseminate patent and trademark information. The Patent and Trademark Resource Center is open during regular library hours: Monday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday from noon to 8 p.m.

Patents and Trademarks 101 will conclude with a feature a screening of the video Promoting Innovation: Today’s USPTO, which offers a 27-minute history and tour of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, at 5:15 p.m.

For more information or to register for this program, please call 954-357-7439 on Monday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday from 12 noon to 8 p.m.

The award-winning Broward County Libraries Division, founded in 1974, is the ninth largest library system in the nation by population served and one of the busiest, with more than 9 million walk-in customers visiting its 37 locations annually. The library has more than 3.4 million items and 2,000 computers for public use and offers hundreds of events and programs to meet the needs of the Broward County's diverse community. The library continues its strong emphasis on literacy, after-school programs and electronic access. In addition to our comprehensive Web site, www.broward.org/library, which provides information about library activities, links to online catalogs, reference information and databases, customers can visit BCL WoW – Broward County Library Without Walls – for free eBooks, music, audiobooks, apps and more. Customers may also follow Libraries on Facebook and Twitter. Libraries Division also administers the services, programs, collections and exhibits of the Historical Commission.