Libraries Important IP Issues Resource, ALA Says

Libraries are an important resource for small businesses to consult on IP issues, the American Library Association said Thursday in a policy paper aimed at influencing President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. IP “considerations are integral to many business ventures, and even more so in the digital economy,” ALA said. Most college and university libraries have at least one copyright specialist on staff “providing expertise and resources,” the library group said. Libraries also serve as Patent and Trademark Resource Centers under the Patent and Trademark Office’s auspices, ALA said. Patent specialists at libraries “help entrepreneurs determine whether someone else has registered a trademark or obtained a patent,” ALA said. Libraries also provide public programming on patent issues, the group said.