Numbers and sizes of applicants at the European Patent Office

The evolution of numbers of applicants and the applicant size distributions in terms of numbers of patent filings are described for clients of the European Patent Office (EPO). Concentrating firstly on the period from 1999 to 2006, it is found that only about 35% of the applicants that file in one year then file again in the following year. However this percentage does not drop too much in further years because of a core group of large companies that persist in making considerable numbers of filings. It is mainly the applicants with small numbers of filings in a year that apply intermittently. A historical analysis is made since 1980 on applicant sizes in terms of Total filings. Breakdowns of the counts are considered by using a series of Size groups. The dynamics are studied via simple Markov chain stochastic process models for transitions between the Size groups. These involve a no-memory-assumption for approximating the probabilities of transitions for two and more years. Firstly, a general model is fitted. This allows a direct estimation to be made of the average remaining lifetime of continuous filing for an applicant that is already active. Then a “poisoned” model is fitted in which no further transitions are allowed back to filing after an applicant ceases to file. Finally, a five year windowed approach is taken to remove the influence of inactive applicants on the transition probabilities as far as possible. A comparative test suggests that the poisoned approach works best among the models that were tested. The discussion section considers policy implications and suggests ways to further develop the approach.     

Patent information in a changing world: Perspectives from a major patent office

The patent information field is in a state of flux, caused by new tools and changing habits and philosophies. In this article a number of major issues arising from this situation are discussed, some ways in which the EPO is responding are described, and some ideas on future developments provided.Patents are increasingly rated as valuable assets, but is patent information, and especially bibliographic patent information, being treated with the same meticulousness as in the past? More people are searching than ever before. But are they squeezing out the information professional? What effect will the IPC reform, the arrival of XML and other developments have? By focussing on completeness, timeliness and correctness, can patent offices make a contribution to alleviate the situation?The author concludes that, more than ever before, it is important that expert patent information professionals ensure that their views and needs are communicated to both initial data suppliers, mainly patent offices, and to commercial database suppliers and hosts.     

Patent Information User Groups in Europe join together: Foundation of the Confederacy of European Patent Information User Groups (CEPIUG)

The Confederacy of European Patent Information User Groups (CEPIUG) was founded in 2008 to promote the sharing of experiences and expertise in patent searching across Europe.CEPIUG currently comprises patent information user groups of seven different European countries and is, of course, open to new members. Besides the exchange of information, CEPIUG also seeks to promote the coordination of European efforts in the fields of education and training of new entrants into the profession of patent searching, as well as trying to identify a suitable certification scheme for patent information professionals.     

Creation and implementation of a customized patent information training program for chemists in a global company

To address a broad company wide education initiative to train non-patent associates on intellectual property related issues, a customized patent information training program targeting discovery chemists was created and implemented.An electronic survey was designed to identify training needs for specific skills pertaining to patents and the patenting process, searching and retrieving patent information, and interpreting search results. From the results of the survey, a training program consisting of several modules was developed and marketed globally through the corporate intranet and by using targeted emails. The modules were a series of classroom based training classes that covered the topics of most interest: a) understanding patent families and legal status, b) differences between different types of patent searches, and c) strengths and attributes of different patent databases. The success of the program was clearly evident based on the high response rate, the positive feedback received and by it stimulating communication and collaboration between patent analysts and discovery chemists.Key determining factors in ensuring the success of the program were the support of the training effort by management, face-to-face communication and making the attendees feel that they were contributing to the long term success of the training program.     

AIDB, the Italian Patent Information Users Group

The Italian Patent Information Users Group (AIDB—Associazione Italiana Documentalisti Brevettuali) was founded on February 24, 2004. At the end of that year, AIDB had 58 members, coming from different environments such as industry, private practice, public institutions, and content providers. During its first months of existence, AIDB coordinated various activities such as checking the extent and quality of documentation services offered by the Italian Patent and Trade Mark Office (UIBM), and promoting discussions about suitable certification schemes for professional patent searchers. In November 2004, AIDB organized a two-day national patent information conference, focused on the business impact of patent information and on the certification of patent searchers.     

The future of patent information––a user with a view

The future of patent information is considered from the combined perspective of an information specialist, a patent agent, an inventor and a corporate patent information user. A brief overview of current patenting trends is highlighted, followed by a close look at future trends in the patent information field, including changes in the delivery, analysis and management of patent information, and in the role of intermediaries. A few examples are provided in support of forward-looking statements to illustrate the challenging dynamics involved in this field. Finally, a long-term view is considered, which indicates there remains much need for improvement.     

New ways of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (GPTO) for the dissemination of IP information

The new GPTO information policy is described. Its objective is to provide inexpensive information as a public information infrastructure for the promotion of economic development. The office’s intention to fulfil its information tasks in an up-to-date form, taking into account the interests of the commercial information suppliers, is explained. Specific aspects described include: raw data provision for downloading at marginal cost, the enhancement of the current Internet services, an XML interface, services in connection with the electronic document management systems within the GPTO, electronic filing and changes in public search room facilities. A new Internet platform to replace the present paper publications in 2004, including electronic IP gazettes, is also foreshadowed.     

Survey of the annual technical reports on the industrial property information activities of IP offices in the year 2001

The activities in the year 2001 of some 46 intellectual property offices and organizations worldwide in the field of patent, trademark and industrial design information are summarized, based on the Annual Technical Reports (ATRs) provided by those offices and organizations. The summary for each country commences with filing statistics, followed by the most relevant, new features of their information activities. Both the filing and information activities vary enormously.The author concludes, inter alia, that

1. In most industrialised countries as well as some of the emerging countries, the number of IP rights applications continued to increase.

2. The granting/registration procedures have not kept up in many IP Offices with this increased number of applications.

3. Work on systems permitting electronic filing of applications, correspondence and fee payment is continuing at a great pace.

4. CD-ROM, DVD and the Internet are now the major vectors for disseminating IP information.

5. The value of the ATRs, and their chronological and geographical comparisons, is increasingly limited by the absence of many ATRs each year and the repetition of information already provided in previous ATRs.

     

Patent information of the former USSR countries

The patent information currently available for the former USSR, EAPO, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, the Baltic countries and Uzbekistan is described. It is a complicated scene, in terms of the extent and depth of coverage, the media employed (paper, CD, on-line), and the use of open access, charged INTERNET access and commercial databases.     

Maggots in paradise––work for the gardeners

The landscape of the patent information market is continuously changing and confronts patent offices, database producers, hosts and information professionals with new challenges. The author describes the users' needs seen from a chemical industry viewpoint. She also examines some of the forces shaping this landscape and questions just how fruitful these recent developments may be.     

The under-representation of women in information technology and computing in the Middle East: A perspective from Jordan

This paper presents the results of a study on the participation of women in computing and information technology (IT) in Jordan. It investigates the percentages of women at all levels of education—from the secondary level through the graduate level—and their participation in the IT workforce. Women in Jordan are still under-represented in the computing and IT fields, and my study explores possible reasons for the under-representation and what can be done to increase women's participation. Despite the fact that the worldwide participation of women in computing has been declining steadily to very low levels, that is not the case in Jordan. This study found that the percentage of Jordanian women in the IT field is rising and far exceeds that of women in the U.S. and Canada. Indeed, increasing women's participation in computing in Jordan is vital to the economy and to the country's sustainable development.