Resources
Google Patents - a quick and easy way to search for domestic and international patents, patent publications and even non-patent publications.
USPTO - this link will direct you to the official government website of the United Patent and Trademark Office
US Copyright Office - the official government website of the United States Copyright Office
WIPO - the official website of the World Intellectual Property Office
International Patent Filing - this is a link to an informational How-To tutorial on the WIPO website
Espacenet - this is a patent search engine for finding patents worldwide. Google Patents also works for this.