CIPA
The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) is the professional and examining body for patent attorneys in the United Kingdom. Its site includes a directory of chartered patent attorneys.
ITMA
The Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (ITMA) is the UK professional body dedicated to the protection of trade marks. It too provides a directory of its members.
The UK Intellectual Property Office
The UK Intellectual Property Office (formerly the UK Patent Office) is a government agency responsible for intellectual property rights in the UK. It holds useful records of UK registered patent, trade mark and design rights. Via its website, you can access the searchable Esp@cenet databases.
The European Patent Office
Responsible primarily for granting European patents, the European Patent Office (EPO) holds publicly available records of the patents and patent applications it handles.
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
WIPO is an international organisation responsible, amongst other things, for handling international (PCT) patent applications. It also provides information on inter-country intellectual property laws for trade marks, designs and copyright. The WIPO website includes links to those of other patent offices around the world.
Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM)
OHIM, also known as OAMI, handles European Community trade mark and design registrations.
The US Patent and Trade Mark Office (USPTO)
The role of the USPTO is to handle applications for patent, design, trade mark and copyright protection in the USA.
The British Library
The British Library holds copies of patent specifications from around the world.
