If you use your mark in interstate commerce, you can apply to register it with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The program provides free legal assistance to underresourced inventors interested in securing patent protection for their inventions.Texas law requires you to use your trademark before you register it. A trademark is different from a patent or copyright. A patent protects an invention. Much of IP law has federal jurisdiction, so a lawyer can be licensed in any state and do IP work for any client in any other state. A patent examiner at the US Patent and Trademark Office will help you with the application, but USPTO employees cannot give legal advice. Federal law governs patent rights and the process for obtaining a patent. It was prepared as a joint project of the State Bar of Texas IP Section and the Texas Young Lawyers Association. (TYLA). A provisional patent application allows you to file without a formal patent claim, oath or declaration, or any information disclosure (prior art) statement.