Calling all innovators: The Patent and Trademark Resource Center is now available at ASU Library.

Anyone who knows Arizona State University knows the following: We are number number one in innovation. With a ten-year legacy of being such, ASU not only sets an important standard but seeks to push boundaries and elevate what it means to be number one. 

And it's happening right now at the library. 

ASU has just welcomed the creation of its Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) located at the ASU Library. In collaboration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the PTRC helps inform the public on the intricacies of trademarks and patents. 

Eric Prosser, the STEM Division Head at ASU Library and one of the librarians in charge of the PTRC, explained how this resource will function. 

“ASU Libraries will be providing support to students, faculty, researchers, and local entrepreneurs by providing access to a comprehensive collection of patent trademark resources, including official materials from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,” Prosser said. “In addition to what we hope will be regular workshops and seminars, we'll also offer individual consultations to assess patrons with the complexities of patent and trademark research.” 

With its addition, the ASU libraries will become one of just under 100 PTRC locations across the US and one of just three locations in Arizona. 

At a celebratory event on Oct. 10, speakers from the USPTO came to the Hayden Library to announce the branch's institution. Scott Ewalt, the Interim Chief Public Engagement Officer for the USPTO, spoke to the goal of this initiative. 

“One of our core missions is to provide the educational training to then bring those resources to local communities across the United States for intellectual property,” Ewalt said. 

“We're really excited to welcome ASU into the family of PTRCs.” 

Other representatives such as Mary Fuller, the Director of the USPTO's Western Regional Outreach Office, connected directly to this new relationship between the USPTO and ASU.

“You’re in my region,” Fuller said. “That means that you can call on us to come and participate with you for anything related to intellectual property. My office is here to support you. And I'm here to support you.” 

Fuller also remarked that, “since 2003, ASU has resulted in more than 4,750 invention disclosures… 1,551 issued United States patents… (and) that startups based on ASU intellectual property have generated over $1.3 billion in investment capital.”

ASU has always led the way in the creation and distribution of intellectual property, however, that channel has been limited towards those “in the know.” 

“ASU is fantastic in the area of patents,” Prosser said. “SkySong Innovations, who's our tech transfer arm, does a great job in getting patents that ASU has a right for. But we have a number of student inventors and student entrepreneurs that ASU doesn't necessarily have the right to their inventions, and so they're wondering, what's the process?”

The process is more straightforward than one might think, and with the help of the ASU Library PTRC team students can much more easily become part of this legacy of innovation.

“We have the ability then to teach them about patents and trademarks, teach them about intellectual property, and educate them as to, you know, what are the steps they need to do,” Prosser said. “So that they can go out and find out if their idea is something they want to move forward with.”

And many of them have. The ASU PTRC team reported four requests in the first four days of operations, showing ASU students are eager and ready to share their innovative ideas with the world. 

ASU’s Patent and Trademark Research Center centers exist at the Library locations on all major Arizona campuses and are available to the public. Information and resources can also be found online at ASU Library’s PTRC website.