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Law Library


Intellectual Property: Laws & Regulations

Laws

Federal laws relating to intellectual property law can be found in several parts of the U.S. Code:

Title 15 - relates to commerce and trade with Chapter 22 dealing specifically with trademarks and Chapter 107 dealing with the protection of intellectual property rights
Title 17 - copyright laws
Title 18 Chapter 90 - protection of trade secrets
Title 35 - patent laws

Sources include:

Model Acts

Some states have adopted the following intellectual property related model acts. States often modify the language of model acts when they adopt them, so consult your state's annotated code for the exact language that applies in your jurisdiction.

Regulations

Federal regulations pertaining to patents, trademarks, and copyright are located in Title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations and regulations relating to unfair trade practices are located in Title 16. Sources include:

State IP Laws

Copyrights and patents are largely governed by federal law, but states may have laws related to trademarks or competition issues. To locate state statutes or regulations on your topic, consult the index to your state’s codes and look for relevant terms such as trademarks, unfair competition, or trade secrets.