The future of patent information

This article forms part of the debate on how the provision and use of patent information is, and will continue to be, influenced by the rapidly increasing capabilities of the Internet and related information technology, together with a number of major changes in patent law around the world. Topics explored include the relationship between the low cost, limited value-added Internet services and the traditional higher cost, significantly value-added commercial database providers, the effects of the impending publication of many US applications, and the opportunities opening up as good-quality machine-generated translations are becoming more easily available. Other topics discussed include the implications of the anticipated implementation of the Community Patent Convention, the community utility model, WIPO's activities, the potential dangers of official patent office data being provided only on the Internet, and the problems of the multiple formats for data on the Internet and on CD-ROMs. The author emphasises these are personal views from his extensive experience in a major patent library.