Image Use

GreatPatent.com publishes two kinds of image, and the rules for reusing them are different.

Patent drawings

The black-and-white drawing sheets at the end of our stories come from United States patents. There is no license to buy and you do not need our permission to reuse them. The United States Patent and Trademark Office says that the text and drawings of a patent are typically not subject to copyright restrictions, with limited exceptions set out in 37 CFR 1.71(d) and (e) and 1.84(s). We mark these sheets with the Public Domain Mark.

A credit is not required, but it helps readers find the source. A good form is the patent number and the issuing office, for example: U.S. Patent 226,264, United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Public domain here refers to copyright in the drawing. It does not cover the invention itself, which may still be protected if the patent is recent, or any trademark in a product the drawing shows.

Our illustrations

The hero illustrations at the top of our stories are original artwork created for this site. They are not licensed for reuse. To ask about using one, write to editors@greatpatent.com with the image and where you would like to use it.