Related Internet Links
There are a number of high-quality link collections or portals which Magister Ltd would recommend to anyone
researching details of patent information sources and coverage. This website will not attempt to duplicate these, but refer you to the
following sites for information.
Patent User Community
- Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP) has amongst its membership a number of companies which provide patent research services. Their membership benefits include a discussion list and an annual conference, for independent information professionals to meet and exchange views.
- Patent Information Users Group, Inc. (PIUG) is the International Society for Patent Information, with a worldwide membership of over 700 professional searchers based in 27 countries. It hosts an annual meeting in the spring of each year in the United States, plus smaller meetings for specialist subjects during the year.
- The Confederacy of European Patent Information Users Groups (CEPIUG) is an umbrella body to promote co-operation of the national user groups from Germany, Italy, France and francophone Belgium and Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands and Dutch-speaking Belgium.
- The American Chemical Society has at least two divisions which host symposia of interest to the patent search community. These are the Division of Chemical Information (CINF) and the Division of Chemistry & the Law. The Division of Chemical Education may also be of interest. Most Divisions of the ACS do not require their members to also be members of the parent body, the ACS, although subscriptions will generally be lower for individuals who belong to both.
- IPI-ConfEx The International Patent Information Conference & Exposition is of primary interest to information managers and patent searchers. It is an annual event, generally around March each year, based in Europe. Registered attendees at the conference have the opportunity to download conference proceedings after the event.
Patent Offices
- The World Intellectual Property Organisation hosts a comprehensive list of websites for national intellectual property offices of the countries which are signatory to the WIPO Convention.
- The European Patent Office has a division based in Vienna which is responsible for their information-publishing activities. The Vienna office also hosts the Virtual Help Desk as part of its support for users of Asian patent information.
- The Trilateral patent offices (European Patent Office, Japan Patent Office and US Patent and Trademark Office) has their own website which reports their collaborative activities.
- Similarly, the 5 major patent offices of the world, the so-called IP5 (Trilateral plus China and South Korea) report developments on the Foundation Projects, designed to assist collaborative working in the future.
Patent Database Hosts, Vendors & Producers
One of the best collections of information about coverage in patent databases is found in the Intellogist site. As well as a collection of factual information about database comparisons (both free-of-charge and subscription based) and guidelines on their selection, Intellogist has a wiki area where individual professionals can leave comments and hints on various aspects of patent searching skills.
- Intellogist
- IPMenu, compiled by Rodney Cruise of Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick (Australia), is another excellent source, with additional coverage to legal materials for use by patent agents and attorneys.
- The British Library Business & IP Centre has extensive stocks of patent information, and their staff can help in identifying suitable electronic databases for searching.
Professional Journals
The principal peer-reviewed journal in the field of patent information is
Both the PATMG and PIUG (links above) publish a members-only periodical in English, which contains current news and views from the professional community. It is recommended that users consider joining one or other of these groups. Nationals of other countries may wish to consider a national user group as part of your networking opportunities.
Videos
The following videos by Stephen Adams are available on related web sites
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