USA IP Overview

The United States, joining WIPO in 1970, is a member of key intellectual property-related multilateral bodies, including: Berne Convention, Brussels Convention, Budapest Treaty, Madrid Protocol, Paris Convention, Patent Cooperation Treaty, Trademark Law Treaty, WTO TRIPs Agreement, and the like. American IP law is grounded in the idea of achieving economic benefit and increasing the amount of innovation and creative works available to the people. In U.S. common law system, federal IP law is directly permitted by the Constitution for copyrights and patents. For trademarks and other forms of IP, however, the federal government only has the authority to make law to regulate commerce. Since state laws are still important for IP law, it is therefore important to note that a person's rights and obligations can only be completely understood with reference to both federal and state law.


Recommended IP Firms

  • STEPTOE & JOHNSON LLP

    Add: 1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20036

    Tel: +1 202 429 3000

    Fax: +1 202 429 3902 

    Website: www.steptoe.com

    Language Spoken: English, Chinese. 

    Office:  Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco.

     

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  • William C. Rowland

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