Intellectual property remains a hot topic in the fields of technology and the law as the need to protect the creation of new technologies grows. The accessibility of information via the Internet is fueling a spiraling number of complex issues.

We have witnessed the copyright claims involving Napster and the record industry as it made front pages of newspapers across the nation. Business method patents brought Priceline.com and Amazon.com into legal battles on doing e-commerce. And Trademark infringement suits upset cyber-squatters' get rich-quick dreams.

In light of the explosion of intellectual property issues, the Internet can be used as a helpful tool in this area of research. Web sites referenced in this article illustrate various ways the Internet aids the intellectual property attorney as well as addressing limitations of Internet research.

To ensure that readers will be able to access these resources, this article covers free Web sites only. Of course any comprehensive intellectual property research should include fee-based online services which are available on the Internet.

Broad General Sites
These Web sites try to meet a variety of needs through a multitude of approaches to intellectual property information. The sites also review and recommend selected specialized Web sites.

General sites provide a better jumping off point than typical Web search engines where the user typically drowns in a flood of information.

The "IP Law Practice Center" of law.com is a good place to find legal news and cases dealing with intellectual property (http://www.law.com/professionals/iplaw.html).

Another general site is FindLaw's intellectual property law page (http://www.findlaw.com/01topics/23intellectprop/) which lists not only articles and resources but also serves as a guide to other informative Web sites.

A Web site that has received a lot of praise for its comprehensiveness is the Intellectual Property Mall (http://www.ipmall.fplc.edu/) created by Franklin Pierce Law Center's Professor Jon Cavicchi. This resource has been referred to as a "one-stop-shop" for intellectual property information and Cavicchi, who is active in the intellectual property information community, works hard to maintain this site as one of the best.

Law Schools
The Franklin Pierce Law Center Web page for intellectual property is just one example of a law school Web site rich in resources. Sites created by educational institutions provide a directory of Web sites that are helpful to both the intellectual property novice as well as the experienced practitioner.

Often the schools' own intellectual property law publications will have some or all of its articles posted on the Web site. These law school sites are meant to enhance the curriculum for the students, but these sites can also be of interest to the non-student.

Another example of a law school's intellectual property Web site is The Legal Information Institute (http://www.law.cornell.edu/), which is an activity of the Cornell Law School that provides legal information on many areas of law including intellectual property.

The LII's "liibulletin"-patent, which is available on their Web site or by email delivery, provides summaries of and commentaries on important patent appeals decisions by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court.

Associations
Society or association Web sites contain a wealth of information that is a product of the activities of their membership. Proceedings from conferences and seminars, articles from the association journals or excerpts from other societal publications are typical of the items that might be found at their sites.

The following are a few association Web sites that offer information about their organizations, including upcoming sponsored events.

The home page for the ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law (http://www.abanet.org/intelprop/home.html) provides a good resource to keep up to date on legal news affecting the practice of intellectual property law.

The ABA continually posts announcements of upcoming intellectual property events.

The American Intellectual Property Law Association (http://www.aipla.org/) is a national bar association whose members are primarily lawyers involved directly or indirectly in the practice of patent, trademark, copyright and unfair competition law, as well as other fields of law affecting intellectual property. The Web site contains their "Guide to Model Patent Jury Instructions, Comments on Rules" as well as other documents published by AIPLA.

A great association for information on patents is the Patent Information Users Group whose members are mainly patent researchers not in the legal field. This group is a repository of patent knowledge that manifests itself on its Web site (http://www.piug.org). PIUG has a lively discussion list and hosts an informative annual conference in the Washington, D.C. area during the spring.

The International Trademark Association (http://www.inta.org/) is a not-for-profit organization. INTA takes a leading role not only in serving members but also in actively pursuing public policy matters concerning trademarks. It educates businesses, the media and the public on proper use of trademarks.

A model of the state trademark bill and articles from their publication, INTA Bulletin, are currently available on INTA's Web site. The Web site provides an easy way to subscribe to their discussion list on trademark topics.

International
The global nature of the Internet is a reminder of the international scope of intellectual property laws. Two of the most comprehensive international Web sites are the European Patent Office (http://www.european-patent-office.org/) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (http://www.wipo.org/)

These two sites provide links to treaties, international patent classification codes and other resources that impact on the international nature of intellectual property.

Almost every country has an office and Web site similar to the United States Copyright Office and United States Patent and Trademark Office. For example, the Japanese Patent Office (http://www.jpo.go.jp/) Web site is in English and contains helpful information on their patenting system. Other countries official Web sites can be found at most of the general intellectual property Web sites but not all are available in English.

Government
The United States government Web sites continue to be a major focus for primary Internet sources in this country. The United States Copyright Office (http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (http://www.uspto.gov/) remain the principal sites for intellectual property information in the United States.

Searching records of copyrights (http://www.loc.gov/copyright/rb.html), patents (http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html) and trademarks ,(http://www.uspto.gov/web/menu/tm.html) is improving and meeting basic record needs.

However, the date limitations and quirkiness of their online search capabilities can be problematic to the researcher.

Other Resources
This list represents a very small percentage of the intellectual property Web sites available today. For example, there are many worthwhile Web sites established and maintained by individuals.

One Web pioneer, Benedict O'Mahoney is a lawyer who created and maintains a site called "The Copyright Web site" (http://www.benedict.com/) His site endeavors to provide "real world, practical and relevant copyright information of interest to infonauts, net surfers, Web spinners, content providers, musicians, appropriationists, activists, infringers, outlaws, and law abiding citizens."

Other individuals provide Web sites that focus on a particular section or a broader range of the spectrum of intellectual property law. Many law firms are offering Web sites on their intellectual property practice. This enables the firms to provide informative resources as well as keep the firm's name prominent in the intellectual property cyber-community.

Hopefully the Web sites reviewed here will facilitate the exploration of other intellectual property sites. The Internet is a very dynamic resource that is constantly growing and changing. It offers a wide variety of information, yet it does have limitations.

Be aware that many journals, treatises and other print titles are only accessible in hard copy (otherwise know as paper). Unquestionably, online commercial services and physical libraries still have a prominent role in intellectual property research, but the materials on the Internet are an important and developing complement in this area of research.