Patent and Trademark Resource Center

The United State Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) designated the Mississippi State University Libraries as a Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) in 2024. As a member of the nationwide PTRCs, we help disseminate patent and trademark information and connect inventors and entrepreneurs to rich intellectual property research resources.

Resources provided by the MSU Libraries:

The Libraries’ research collection includes works on intellectual property and related topics, as well as subscription databases for MSU students, faculty, and staff to search for patent information.

The Patent and Trademark Resource Center

• Provides brief orientations to available resources and tools.
• Demonstrates how to use search tools to conduct a general patent or trademark search.
• Offers workshops on performing basic patent searching.
• Provides referrals to the MSU Office of Technology Management for patent application questions.
• Provides contact information for experts at the USPTO for information needs beyond the scope of the PTRC staff.
• Provides USPTO brochures and links to online tutorials.

Please be advised, we are not legal professionals and cannot provide advice about your patent/trademark search or application, conduct patent/trademark searches for you, or assist in writing patent/trademark applications.

The Patent and Trademark Resource Center is located on the second floor of the Mitchell Memorial Library within Research Instruction and Outreach. Below is a map of the place.

The PTRC librarian is available by appointment to meet in-person or online via WebEx. To schedule an appointment, please fill out this form or contact Li Zhang, lzhang@library.msstate.edu.