Patents and Trademarks

If you are starting or considering starting your own business, North Dakota offers some great resources. These include:

• North Dakota District Office of the Small Business Association
• North Dakota Small Business Development Center
• Center for Innovation at the University of North Dakota

Inventors from North Dakota have filed nearly 3,000 patents. Their patents range from soybean varieties to special coatings for fishing lures to methods for recharging a mobile robot.

1. To find patents from North Dakota inventors, start on www.uspto.gov.
2. Click on "search for patents" at the top right above the "Search our site" option.
   
3. Click on the quick search option for searching the patent database.
   
4. From the "All Fields" drop-down list, select "Inventor State."
   
5. Enter the state abbreviation for North Dakota as Term 1. Click on "Search."
   

North Dakotans have filed for more than 5,000 trademarks.

1. To find trademarks filed by people from North Dakota. start on www.uspto.gov.
2. Click on "search for trademarks" at the top right above the "Search our site" option.
   
3. Click on "Word and/or Design Mark Search (Structured)."
   
4. From the "Field" drop-down list, select "Owner Name and Address."
   
5. For your search term, type in "North Dakota," using quotations. Click on "Submit Query."
   

If the trademark lists a "Reg. Number," then the mark is a registered trademark. If not, then someone has applied for the trademark but it has not yet been granted. Also notice whether the mark is "Live" or "Dead" on the right column. If the mark is "Dead," then it may no longer be in use.