Friday, 30 August 2002
- STN - JAPIO Reloaded & Enhanced
STN have announced that the JAPIO patent database, which provides the
most comprehensive English Language access to Japanese unexamined patent applications
(Kokai Tokkyo Koho), has been reloaded and enhanced. The completely reloaded JAPIO file
comprises data from the Patent Abstracts of Japan (PAJ), 1976 to date,
enhanced with bibliographic data from INPADOC, 1973-1997 (approx. 1.6 million records).
JAPIO on STN now comprises over 7.7 million records. In addition to the new and improved
content, JAPIO has been enhanced with simultaneous left and right truncation (SLART) in
the basic index and the availablity of TIFF images. Full details are available on the
JAPIO summary sheet.
| STN Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- New
Tools on esp@cenet
As
reported on the PIUG news list, esp@cenet have a couple of new features that enhance
searching on the esp@cenet system. IP Menu is not sure how long they have been available
but both provide useful tools to enhance searching. You can search for the best ECLA codes
with a new search tool and
cited references from the search report are now in included (and hyperlinked) in the
bibliographic abstract.
| esp@cenet Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Australia
- New Statutory Fees From 1 September 2002
Changes to IP Australia's
statutory fees under the Patents, Trade Marks and Designs Act will come into effect on
Sunday 1 September 2002. IP Australia indicate that the fees will:
- Accommodate an electronic business environment;
- Provide some simplification and consistency of the fee schedules;
- Continue to implement a 'a whole of life' cost recovery fee structure while realigning
some costs with fees to ensure that IP Australia continues to provide high quality
products and services; and
- Maintain the on-going viability of IP Australia while keeping the prices of services
internationally comparable.
To find out more on changes to official fees visit the IP Australia website or contact IP
Organisers.
| IP Australia Website | IP Organisers Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Thursday, 29 August 2002
Wednesday, 28 August 2002
- Pharmaceutical
Patent News - Thomson Acquires Current Drugs Ltd.
It has been announced that the Thomson Corporation has the UK-based
Current Drugs Ltd. (Current Drugs), Current Drugs provides databases, systems and services
such as the Investigational Drugs database (IDdb). Thomson also provide Derwent World
Patent Index, Derwent GENESEQ, and ISI Web of Science. The full Press Release is available
here.
"I am delighted that Current Drugs has joined
Thomson, enabling us to grow this successful business and better meet the needs of
customers," said Ian Tarr, Managing Director of Current Drugs. "Thomson is
well-known in the industry as a leading publisher of widely-used, comprehensive databases
and integrated information solutions, and I look forward to working with colleagues at
Derwent and ISI to deliver a range of integrated information solutions on our IDdb
platform."
| Current Patents Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Tuesday, 27 August 2002
- STNews Now Available - July/August Edition
The July/August Edition of STNews (a bimonthly newsletter) is now available in both
HTML and PDF format from
STN. The current issue includes articles on the following:
Feature - Get a competitive edge with current-awareness
alerts on STN
Help Worldwide - STN--Count on us for the best support
Database News - Database News Articles
Search Tip - How to get graphics with your STN alert results
Ask REGgie - Using POLYLINK to find monomers used to form a
condensation polymer
STN on the Web - STN on the Web enhancements
STN Easystreet - STN Easy enhancements
To find out more, or to subscribe, visit the STN website.
| STN Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Monday, 26 August 2002
- Derwent's Web of Software

Derwent have announced
the trial of their "Web of Software" system. It is a web-based repository of "all
the information needed to launch a global software or business methods prior-art search,
bringing together patents, journal articles, technical publications and disclosures, along
with links to intellectually selected and indexed websites". The system allows
you to search across the entire collection and covers the following subsets of
information:
Patent documents
- Over 196,000 software and business methods patents from 1963 onwards
Journals
- 993,000 articles selected from 2,000 different titles
Technical publications
- Coverage of 1000 periodicals, trade and technical publications
Websites
- Relevant websites are assessed and indexed
Web of Software is due to be released late in 2002, however Derwent are offering Trial
access. Click here to
find out more.
| Derwent Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Australia
- Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia (IPRIA) Public Seminars
The Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia (IPRIA) will
be holding seminars in Melbourne and Sydney on the topic of : "Computer-Implemented
Inventions and Business Method Patents: Recent Developments in Europe and Australia".
The speaker is Dr Noel Byrne, Former Senior Fellow in Intellectual Property Law, Queen
Mary College, University of London.
Melbourne Seminar: Wednesday 4 September,
2002 at 6.00-7.30pm (MELBOURNE)
Sydney Seminar: Tuesday 10 September 2002 at
5.00-6.30pm (SYDNEY)
For further information or to download a registration form, visit the IPRIA website.
| IPRIA Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Europe/Japan - UPDATE - EPIDOS Users' Meeting on Japanese Patent
Information
The programme for the EPIDOS User Meeting on Japanese patent
information has been updated. Also some abstracts have been added to the website.
The EPO have announced that they shall be organising a special meeting for users of
Japanese patent information. "It will be your opportunity to meet experts from
the leading Japanese players, namely the Japan Patent Office, Japio and Japanese data
producers and distributors".
The
conference is scheduled to be held at the European Patent Office's Vienna sub-office, from
21 to 22 November 2002.
"In co-operation with our partners in Japan, we have put together a programme
that will be of interest to all users of Japanese patent information. In addition to
presentations by Japanese commercial and non-commercial data providers on the first day of
the meeting, you will be able to discuss problems and exchange ideas in smaller discussion
groups and special workshops on the second day. An evening event at one of Vienna's
typical Heurigen will be a pleasant occasion for strengthening your contacts with our
experts from Japan and the EPO".
To find out more, visit the EPIDOS webpage.
| EPO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Australia
- New IP Association
IP Owners Association of
Australia - "IP Owners is a new industry association set up to represent the
interests of all owners of intellectual property by dealing with IP policy issues from the
IP owner's perspective, with Board members drawn from Nike Australia, Warner Music and the
legal and accounting professions. IP Owners is organised to marshal owners into a coherent
voice to deal with IP issues from an Australian owners perspective". If you are
interested in finding out more about this new Australian association, visit their website.
| IP Owners Association of Australia
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Friday, 23 August 2002
- PIUG
2002 Conference Videos Now Available
The Patent Information
Users Group (PIUG) 2002 Conference Videos are now available for purchase. The
conference focused on "Pacific Rim Patent Coverage" and had some excellent
presentations regarding Japanese patent information. You even get to see me speak! You can
purchase the set of 9 videos for USD $110.00 by mail(check) or via Secure Online shopping
facility (PayPal). To find out more, visit the PIUG website and click on the link on the
main page.
Video
Coverage:
- "Pacific Rim Patent Coverage - Patenting Trends and
Technologies", Lora Burgess
- "Patent Intelligence and Mapping",
Anthony Trippe
- "An Introduction to the Chinese Patent System",
Robin Zhao
- "Introduction to the Korean Patent System",
Eun-Hwa Choi
- "Rationalising IP Information Delivery - An Australian
Perspective", Rodney Cruise
- "Outline of Japanese Patent Law",
Shunichi Doi, Visiting Scholar, University of Washington School of Law.
- "An Introduction to the Japanese Patent System",
Irene Schellner, European Patent Office
- "Japanese Patent Information: Where to Find it, How to
Use it", David T. Dickens
- Luncheon featuring Mr. Yoshitaka HIRABAYASHI, Director-General of the Second Patent
Examination Department of the Japanese Patent Office, as a representative of the Japan
Patent Office Commissioner Mr. Kouzo OIKAWA
- "JPO's service and products concerning IP information
dissemination", Mr. Shin UENO, Director of the Patent Information
Promotion Policy Office, Japan Patent Office
- "Pharmaceutical Patents at JPO -Search and Examination
Practices in Pharmaceutical Patent Applications", Ms. Kiyoko TAMURA,
Patent Examiner, Japan Patent Office
- "Patent Information Service in Japan - from the private
sector", Mr. Yutaka Wada, Chairman and CEO PATOLIS Corp.
- "Comparison of International Patent Trends: A Look at
Asian, European and North American Filings", Ron Kaminecki
- "esp@cenet, the view from within",
Graham Day, European Patent Office
- "Internet tools providing professional support to the
patent searcher", Stephen Adams
| PIUG Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Thursday, 22 August 2002
- Festo -
Presentation
Following on from the immense interest the "Festo" case has
generated, not only in the USA but around the world, IP Menu notes that on 23 October
2002, Irah H. Donner of Hale and Dorr LLP will be presenting "DOE and PHE: The
Supremes Speak Out: Festo vs. SMC". The presentation will be held by the New Jersey
Chapter of the National Association of Patent Practitioners (NAPP). For those readers in
the USA the details are as follows:
WHEN: October 23, 2002 Noon to 2:30
p.m. A buffet lunch of sandwiches will be served from Noon to 12:30 p.m. The presentation
will begin at 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Johnson & Johnson Consumer
Companies Grandview Room, South Building, 199 Grandview Road, Skillman, New Jersey
COST: USD$25 for NAPP Members, $40
for non-NAPP members.
Further information cab be obtained from Mary Anne Magee (908-874-2089), Bob Tannhauser
(908-218-2307) or Marcella Bodner (732-744-1001, ext 15). Alternatively visit the NAPP website.
| NAPP Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Wednesday, 21 August 2002
- Employment
Opportunity at IP Organisers - Melbourne Office
IP Organisers Pty Ltd - Intellectual Property Management,
Commercialisation and Research Services.
IP
Organisers Pty Ltd is an Intellectual Property service company associated with Phillips Ormonde & Fitzpatrick, Phillips Ormonde &
Fitzpatrick Lawyers and IP Menu.
IP Organisers provides Intellectual Property Research, Management, Audit &
Commercialisation services.
We have the following position available in our Melbourne (Australia) office.
Intellectual Property Researcher
You will have a science or engineering degree majoring in chemistry, biochemistry or
similar. You will have strong computer and keyboard skills and some experience in HTML
would be advantageous although not essential. You will have the ability to think logically
and laterally and have excellent written and verbal skills. Attention to detail is
essential. You will work with supervision and training is provided in-house. Previous
experience in information research will be well regarded although not essential.
The successful applicant will conduct information research with regard to Patents,
Trademarks, Designs, Domain Names, and Company & Business Names. He or she will also
assist in maintaining several commercial and information based websites.
Send applications by 23 August 2002
Ms Claudia Ginn
IP Organisers Pty Ltd
PO Box 323
Collins St West VIC 8007
Australia

Tel: +61 3 9622 2100
Fax: +61 3 9614 1867
Email: mail[@]iporganisers.com.au
Web: www.iporganisers.com.au
Web: www.ipmenu.com
Web: www.pof.com.au
Tuesday, 20 August 2002
- Chemical
Abstracts Records From Early 20th Century
CAS and ACS Publications announced during the ACS national meeting
held this week in Boston (USA) that Chemical Abstract records from early twentieth centure
are now linked to the ACS Journal Archives. Researchers can now use Chemical Abstracts
Service (CAS) information products to identify journal articles of interest back to the
beginning of the twentieth century, then link via ChemPort to the full-text articles in
the electronic American Chemical Society (ACS) Journal Archives.
"ChemPort is a feature incorporated into all CAS electronic search services,
including STN Express, STN Easy, STN on the Web, SciFinder, SciFinder Scholar and CA on
CD. Researchers identifying relevant articles or patents by searching CAS' and other
databases on the STN International network use ChemPort to link from the database record
to the associated full-text document on the web sites of participating journal publishers
or patent offices for no additional charge. A list of those participating in ChemPort is
available on the Web here".
| CAS Website | ChemPort Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- US
Patent Calendars
DewRay Products produce a unique type of calendar based on US patents. "Here
is a great product idea for inventors, engineers and scientists that outlines some of the
history and facts within the U.S. Patent system. This Patents Calendar makes a truly
unique gift for inventors, engineers and scientists. This unique calendar displays some of
the fascinating ideas from the genius of past and present".

You can visit their website
and view some samples
of their products.
| Patent-Calendars Website
|
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Monday, 19 August 2002
- Intellectual
Property Office of the Slovak Republic
The Intellectual Property Office of the Slovak Republic now provides
online access to their Patent, Utility Model, Industrial Designs and Trademarks database.
The interface is in English and the databases are free to use. A simple registration
proceedure is required to access the databases. You can access the Intellectual Property
Office of the Slovak Republic website here, and register to access the databases.
| IPO Slovak Republic Website
|
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Free
US Patent Alerting Service
I discovered what looks like a great site offering free patent alerts
of US Patents. The website, called (no surprise) PatentAlert, provides a free e-mail
publication for people interested in patents.

"Upon subscription, you will receive periodical updates about inventions
recently patented in the United States. Your e-mails will include descriptions of patents
in the fields of your choice. You can choose to receive updates daily, weekly, bi-weekly
or monthly. Using the system of customizable subscriptions, you will be able to select
only the content that is relevant to you. Alternatively, you can specify a wider range of
themes for a broader view of affairs".
To find out more or to subscribe to this service, visit the PatentAlert website.
| PatentAlert Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Don't Miss The News - Subscribe to IP Menu News
If you don't get the chance or time to visit IP Menu News every day
then you should consider subscribing to our fortnightly email newsletter which includes
all the latest IP news together with the latest IP Conference Calendar. Subscription
is free. If you are interested in receiving this newsletter please click here.
- PatentFamily.Com
A German company called Software for Intellectual Property GmbH has
the catchy URL www.patentfamily.com. The site
hosted here provides access to patent family data from the INPADOC database. They state
that during the introduction of this service, access to the database is free of charge but
is limited to 3 queries per day. An extended free access (10 queries per day) requires
registration. To find out more and try out a free family search (or 3!), visit SIP's website.

| SIP Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- PatentGopher
- Patent Document Provision Service
PatentGopher is a service that provides copies of patent documents via email. "PatentGopher
emerged in May 2000 as an inexpensive method of patent retrieval. We have delivered tens
of thousands of patents for free or nominal rates. Our users include attorneys, engineers,
scientists, researchers, and inventors. They work at law firms, major corporations,
research and educational institutions, and government agencies in over 40 countries around
the world.........Patents of 10 pages or less will be delivered for just US$1. Additional
pages cost ten cents each".
For further information visit PatentGopher.
| PatentGopher Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Friday, 16 August 2002
- Warning! - WIPO Issues Warning on Fee Payments.
WIPO has issued a notice relating to payment of PCT fees. It is
unfortunate, but we have seen similar types of notices in recent times in the US and
Europe. We have reproduced the entire notice below and strongly recommend that if you have
any concerns that you contact WIPO directly.
"It has come to the attention of the International Bureau
that PCT applicants and agents are receiving invitations to pay fees with the title:
"Central Data-Register of International
Patents International Patent
Applications/Offer"
which typically refer to a payment which is to be made in the amount of 1235,40 Euros or
US dollars within a period of 10 days, by cheque to the following address:
ZDR-DatenRegister GmbH
P.O. Box 102422
60024 Frankfurt/Main
Germany
or by bank transfer to the indicated bank account number.
The invitation identifies a particular PCT application by its international publication
number (eg: WO 02 xxxxx), publication date, title of the invention, international filing
date, international application number, priority information and IPC symbols; an example
of one such invitation can be viewed here.
PCT applicants and agents should note that such invitations do not come from the
International Bureau of WIPO and are unrelated to the processing of international
applications under the PCT. Whatever registration services might be offered in the
above-mentioned invitations, they bear no connection to WIPO or to any of its official
publications.
It is the International Bureau of WIPO alone which publishes all PCT applications promptly
after the expiration of 18 months from the priority date (see PCT Article 21(2)(a)); there
is no separate fee for such international publication, and the legal effects of
international publication are set out in PCT Article 29.
In case of doubt in relation to such an invitation, please contact the International
Bureau by telephone at +41 22 338 8338".
| WIPO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- IP
MENU Update
IP MENU has updated the following Intellectual Property Resources:
IP Drafting Resources - New - Techical
Publication Associates, Inc. - "We
provide patent illustration services for legal firms and companies. Specializing in
two-dimensional drawings and schematics, three-dimensional isometric drawings, and
exploded-view assembly illustrations. Our portfolio is online for your viewing".
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Thursday, 15 August 2002
- USA
- Patents - Official Gazette To Be Discontinued
It what many see as an unfortunate move merely to save money, the
USPTO is pressing ahead with it's plan to discontinue the paper publication of the
Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office - Patents (Official
Gazette - Patents). The last paper issue with be the 24 September 2002 issue.
"In concert with its 21st Century Strategic Plan, the
Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) will
discontinue paper publication of the Official Gazette of the United States Patent and
Trademark Office - Patents (Official Gazette-Patents) after the September 24, 2002 issue.
The publication is now available on CD-ROM. The cost is $15.00 per issue or $300 annually,
compared to the paper version that costs $70.00 for a single copy and $1465 annually. The
Official Gazette-Patents also is now available on the USPTO Web site (www.uspto.gov) free
of charge. However, space considerations only allow archiving for the latest six
issues".
To read the full Press Release, visit the USPTO website here.
| USPTO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Australia - Interim Measures
IP Australia has announced today that from 15 August 2002
until the publication of the NEW AOJP (Australian Official Journal of Patents)
Supplement, IP Australia will be providing information about certified Innovation Patents
in the current AOJP. However when available, the new AOJP Supplement will contain details
of all new standard, provisional and innovation patent applications filed after 5 July
2002 as well as all existing innovation patents. This will supersede the existing
Innovation Patent Supplement to the AOJP which contains only innovation patent data.

Confused? Well, if you have any
questions relating to the state of flux currently exisiting with Australian Patent
information, please do not hesitate to contact
us here at IP Organisers.
| IP Organisers Website | IP Australia Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Wednesday, 14 August 2002
- European Patent Convention (EPC)
The
European Patent Convention (EPC) which issued in July 2002 is now available for download
from the European Patent
Office website. It is available as a fully bookmarked Adobe Acrobat PDF file.
The files in Adobe Acrobat PDF format correspond to the latest printed edition of the EPC
(without amendments adopted by the Administrative Council since the printed edition was
published). The most up-to-date version of the EPC is available as the HTML
document.
| EPO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Tuesday, 13 August 2002
- PCT
Newsletter August 2002 Issue Now Available Online
WIPO has just published the August 2002 PCT Newsletter (No. 08/2002)
and it is available online.

This issue includes:
- PCT Article 22(1): Withdrawals of Notifications of Incompatibility
- PCT Rule 4.10: Withdrawal of Notification of Incompatibility
- Time Limits for Entering the National Phase
- PCT Quiz
- PCT Reform: Second Session of the Committee on Reform of the PCT
- On-Line Entry into the European Regional Phase
- Mexico: Power of Attorney Requirements in the National Phase
A full list of contents is available here.
| WIPO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- FileShopper
- Don Cooksey Joins FileShopper as Marketing Director
Jim
Turner from FileShopper has
announced that Don Cooksey has joined FileShopper as Marketing Director. Don "brings
to FileShopper over 12 years of experience in the field of Intellectual Property, with a
focus on research, customer support, document delivery and marketing. Don is now
responsible for the sales and marketing initiatives that will continue to build
FileShopper as a global player in the IP market. Most recently, Don established the
Marketing Departments at DigiPat and Kramer & Associates and was responsible for the
development of their marketing collateral, web pages, and advertising. He increased
awareness and market share of both companies by initiating their first advertising
campaigns, direct mailings, and trade show participation. He also served as lead customer
contact for all of DigiPats electronic products. Prior to DigitPat, Don served as
Director of Services with Prior Art Searches, supervising the File History staff and
facilitating marketing activities for the organization. In addition, Don was the Assistant
Manager of Derwents Patent Store that provided patent copies and File Histories for
the Washington, D.C. area market. While there he also served as the team leader on
Derwents Document Delivery Re-Engineering project. Don began his career in IP 12
years ago, conducting trademark research at Compu-Mark, in Bethesda, Maryland. From there
he moved to Thomson & Thomsons Washington D.C. office where he was employed as a
Copyright Analyst, conducting copyright research and acting as customer liaison to the
Copyright Office at the Library of Congress".
To find out more about FileShopper, visit their website. IP Organisers Pty Ltd is a FileShopper document provider for
Australian and New Zealand patent documentation.
| FileShopper Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Monday, 12 August 2002
- Patent Re*Search ToolBox
Some readers will remember Patent Re*Search ToolBox and their software
"DIP-J for USP". Software for downloading patents from the USPTO. In February
2002, Sissy took down his website and removed his software due to a patent infringement suit. A
brief update to his website indicates that the lawsuit was "ended by
reconciliation" in May this year, however the "invalidation action" is
still in progress. If anyone else has any further information on this, IP Menu would be
grateful to hear from you.
| Sissy Website
|
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- GetIPDL -
Upgrade (1.9.12) to Patent Downloading Software
GetIPDL release another update to their beta
Patent Downloading software (which is free!) They have released a further Beta
upgrade (1.9.12) which now includes the ability to download mulitple patents at one time
and kept up with changes on Depatis, espacenet, WIPO and USPTO. A history of the
software changes can be found here.
To find out more, please visit the GetIPDL website here.
| Get IPDL Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- STN Launches New Phamraceutical and Nutraceutical Databases
STN
International has announced the launch of the PHARMAML and NUTRACEUT databases. PHARMAML
was released in July 2000 whilst NUTRACEUT will be available in the near future.
"PHARMAML
contains bibliographic and full-text information - including the full-text of the weekly
publication PharmaMarketLetter - on all aspects of the pharmaceutical and healthcare
industries world-wide. This comprises legislation; company news, including financial
reports, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, start-up companies, trends and
strategies, multinational deals, stock market commentary, biotechnology R&D, and sales
performance; product news, including drug submissions, drug launches, drug approvals and
rejections, licensing arrangements, clinical trial development and results, and product
development; and upcoming conferences and meetings. The database is updated daily with
pre-publication data - and weekly with written publication data - and coverage extends
from 1992 to date. Currently PHARMAML includes 47,650 records. Backlog data - to 1985 -
will be added in the future. PHARMAML complements perfectly the collection of high-quality
pharmaceutical databases offered on STN, e.g. Derwent Drug File (DDFU), ADISINSIGHT,
DRUGNL, DRUGLAUNCH, DRUGPAT, EMBASE, and many more".
"NUTRACEUT contains bibliographic and full-text information - including the full-text
of the weekly publication Nutraceuticals - covering the global nutraceutical, functional
foods, dietary supplements, and natural product industries. This includes world-wide
legislation, labelling requirements, company news and product launches, R&D and
manufacturing technology developments, market data and forecasts, as well as upcoming
conferences and meetings. Currently coverage extends from 1996 to date, and the database
contains more than 6,000 documents".
For more information, visit the STN website.
| STN Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- CAS Country Coverage Update
CAS has published an updated version of patent country coverage for CAS
databases. "CAS covers patents from patent offices worldwide. These patents are
selected from over 23,000 International Patent Classification (IPC) codes". A
complete guide to country, kind and year coverage is available as a PDF file from
CAS.
| CAS Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Friday, 09 August 2002
- Keyword
Patent Searching Online - A Workbook
Gerald R. Black has published a new book entitled. "Keyword
Patent Searching Online - A Workbook". James contends that it makes a compelling case
for "keywords" as the best way to search for patents on the Internet. He makes
the claim that the "use of classification systems is not needed for global
patentability searches".
Now I have not read the book
but I doubt many of IP Menu readers would agree with his premise that the use of a
classification system is not needed for "global patentability searches". You
make up your own mind. According to his website:
"Gerald R. Black has more than twenty years experience in patent law, and has
been admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He was "Of
Counsel " with Dykema Gossett of Detroit, Michigan, Associate Patent Counsel with
Borg-Warner Automotive, Inc., and an attorney with Battelle Memorial Institute and
Rockwell International Corp. (Aerospace Division). He has been admitted to practice law in
Michigan, California, and Ohio, and has a private practice in Southfield, Michigan. He is
also an inventor-entrepreneur. This is his first book."
IP Menu tries to report broadly on IP research matters, and new books in this area are
always worth bringing to our readers attention. To find our more and make up your own mind
about his approach visit Black's website here.
| KeyPatent Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Thursday, 08 August 2002
- GetIPDL -
Upgrade (1.9.11) to Patent Downloading Software
GetIPDL
release another update to their beta Patent Downloading software (which is free!)
They have released a further Beta upgrade (1.9.11) which now includes the ability to
download mulitple patents at one time and kept up with changes on Depatis, espacenet, WIPO
and USPTO. A history of the software changes can be found here.
To find out more, please visit the GetIPDL website here.
Reminder: For those people who will be attending the 224th ACS National
Meeting, Boston, August 18-22, 2002, Kazuya Ujihara (the author of GetIPDL) will be
presenting "Total synthesis of velamone: A trans-clerodane diterpene.", paper
number 777. DIVISION: Division of Organic Chemistry - SESSION: Methodology, Synthesis,
Process R&D, Heterocycles - PRESENTATION FORMAT: Poster - DAY & TIME: Wednesday,
August 21, 2002 from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
| Get IPDL Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Wednesday, 07 August 2002
- Australia
- Patent Database Unavailable
Access to the Australian Patent Administration system (Patadmin) & the Patent
Indexing system (Patindex) will be suspended from Thursday 8 August 2002 and over the
weekend. IP Australia advise
that "this suspension of services is necessary to ensure data integrity when the
data is copied from Patadmin to the NPS system".
While Patadmin access is unavailable it will not be possible to
obtain bibliographic information normally available via Patadmin. There are other sources
of Australian patent information available (eg CDROM and Journals). If you require
Australian information during this period, contact us at IP Organisers.
| IP Australia Website | IP Organisers Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Singapore
- IPOS and iSinolaw Alliance
The SurfIP
newsletter is out and some great news
on Chinese IP information. The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has announced an alliance with iSinolaw.com. ISinolaw provides online
bilingual china laws. If you are a SurfIP member Isinolaw.com is providing free access to
a large range of China Intellectual Property (IP) Law questions and answers. "The
Q&A section provides to-the-point answers to most of the frequently asked questions on
various aspects of Chinese IP law. The answers are also handy "memory cards" on
important topics and current issues". It is always great to see IP resources
developing in Asia and as usual it is great to see SurfIP involved.
If
you are not already a member of SurfIP,
I would recommend that you visit their site and have a look at their unique collection of
IP resources.
| SurfIP Website | iSinlolaw Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Europe Asia Patent
Information Conference (EAPIC)
The
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and the European Patent Office (EPO) are co-organising the Europe-Asia Patent Information Conference
on 11 and 12 September 2002 in Singapore.
"Come and participate in EAPIC - a conference bringing together professionals,
decision-makers and partners of intellectual property!
Gain further insight into IP issues through practical workshops, presentations and
lectures by renowned IP professionals and distinguished university lecturers in the IP
field.
Meet representatives from European and Asian IP offices, research institutes and
universities, as well as private sector providers of patent information products and
services who will exhibit their products and services at EAPIC.
Bringing together patent offices and service providers to foster business opportunities,
EAPIC is the IP event you will not want to miss! Register now to enjoy a 5% early-bird
discount! (with full payment before 14 June 2002)"
The conference programme includes:
- ASEAN IP Cooperation by Mr S. Tiwari (Chairman, ASEAN Working
Group on IP Cooperation)
- Patenting Strategies and IP Management for Research Institutions and
Universities by Professor Albert Tramposch
- IP Management for SMEs by Professor Michael Blakeney
- Patenting Strategies for SMEs by Mr Lawrence Y.D. Ho
- Patent Information as a Source of Knowledge by Mr Wilheim von
Lieres
- Patent Information as a Source of Knowledge The
Practitioners Perspective by Mr David Lewellyn
- Workshops on patent searching will be conducted by EPO patent expert Dr
Nigel Clarke, as well as workshops by software companies such as Derwent Publications.
To find out more visit the Conference Page on the IPOS website.
| IPOS Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Tuesday, 06 August 2002
- GetIPDL -
Upgrade (1.9.9) to Patent Downloading Software
GetIPDL
release another update to their beta Patent Downloading software (which is free!)
They have released a further Beta upgrade (1.9.9) which now includes the ability to
download mulitple patents at one time and kept up with changes to WO numbering on Depatis
and espacenet. A history of the software changes can be found here.
To find out more, please visit the GetIPDL website here.
| Get IPDL Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Employment
Opportunity at IP Organisers - Melbourne Office
IP Organisers Pty Ltd - Intellectual Property Management,
Commercialisation and Research Services.
IP
Organisers Pty Ltd is an Intellectual Property service company associated with Phillips Ormonde & Fitzpatrick, Phillips Ormonde &
Fitzpatrick Lawyers and IP Menu.
IP Organisers provides Intellectual Property Research, Management, Audit &
Commercialisation services.
We have the following position available in our Melbourne (Australia) office.
Intellectual Property Researcher
You will have a science or engineering degree majoring in chemistry, biochemistry or
similar. You will have strong computer and keyboard skills and some experience in HTML
would be advantageous although not essential. You will have the ability to think logically
and laterally and have excellent written and verbal skills. Attention to detail is
essential. You will work with supervision and training is provided in-house. Previous
experience in information research will be well regarded although not essential.
The successful applicant will conduct information research with regard to Patents,
Trademarks, Designs, Domain Names, and Company & Business Names. He or she will also
assist in maintaining several commercial and information based websites.
Send applications by 23 August 2002
Ms Claudia Ginn
IP Organisers Pty Ltd
PO Box 323
Collins St West VIC 8007
Australia

Tel: +61 3 9622 2100
Fax: +61 3 9614 1867
Email: mail[@]iporganisers.com.au
Web: www.iporganisers.com.au
Web: www.ipmenu.com
Web: www.pof.com.au
Monday, 05 August 2002
Friday, 02 August 2002
- PatSee PRO Upgrade
Image Applications have just released PatSee PRO version 3.10 beta 3,
which addresses problems with downloading Application patents from the USPTO. The software
can be downloaded for free from the Image Applications website and installed
using your existing keys.
| Image Applications
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Japan - New
JPO Commissioner
On 30 July 2002, Shinichiro OTA
was appointed as the new Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office (JPO). His first address
as Commissioner has just been posted on the JPO website.
"Today, intellectual property policies are attracting growing attention from
society with the establishment this year of the Strategic Council on Intellectual Property
in March and the decision upon the Intellectual Property Policy Outline on July 3. To be
given the opportunity to engage in intellectual property administration at such a time as
this is both a wonderful honor and a huge challenge for me, as I recognize the gravity of
my responsibility".
To read the full address, visit the JPO website here.
| JPO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Derwent
/ STN Free Seminars
Derwent and STNŽ have announced a series of free seminars covering finding key
patent, genetic sequence and chemical structure information easily and quickly online. The
seminars are held as follows:
 USA
- October 1, 2002 - San Francisco, CA
- October 2, 2002 - Los Angeles, CA
- October 4, 2002 - Houston, TX
EUROPE
- September 5, 2002 - London, UK
- September 13, 2002 - Berlin, Germany
For more information, visit the Derwent website here.
| Derwent Website | STN Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Trade
Marks - EURONICE Database Online (Test Phase)
EURONICE is a database for the storage and reuse of translations of the most
frequently used expressions by Community trade mark applicants to describe the goods and
services covered by their marks. This database currently contains about 17,000 expressions
represented in the eleven official languages of the EU. EURONICE ONLINE makes the content
of the EURONICE database available to applicants and their representatives by means of a
search engine, which can be accessed via the link displayed above. The EURONICE online
search tool is currently in a test phase. The EURONICE online search tool gets its
information from the EURONICE database. This database contains expressions frequently used
by Community trademark applicants to describe the goods and services covered by their
marks.
For further information visit the EURONICE website here or go directly
to the database.
| OHIM Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Japan - Examination Guideline on Requirement for Disclosure of
Information on Prior Art Documents
Following the 2002 amendment of Sections 36(4)(ii), 48septies and 49(v) of the
Patent Law, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) had drafted "Examination Guideline on
Requirement for Disclosure of Information on Prior Art Documents" in June 2002 and
invited comments on this Draft. Reflecting the comments, the JPO finalized
"Examination Guideline on Requirement for Disclosure of Information on Prior Art
Documents" as following. The Guideline will be effective September 1, 2002. To read
the guidelines, visit the JPO website here (PDF).
| JPO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- USPTO
to Hold 7th Annual Independent Inventors Conference
The USPTO will hold the 7th Annual Independent Inventors Conference from 2 to 3
August 2002 at the
Onondaga
Community College
Whitney Applied Technology Center
4941 Onondaga Road
Syracuse, NY 13215
USA
"The Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO),
Office of Independent Inventor Programs (OIIP), will host the 7th Annual Independent
Inventors Conference, ICON 2002, highlighting the agency's recent announcement on
expanding programs for independent inventors".
To find out more, visit the USPTO website here.
| USPTO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- PCT-SAFE - WIPO's Electronic Filing Project
A revamped site on the WIPO website, details WIPO's development of their
electronic filing software, PCT-SAFE. This will enable users to file PCT international
applications in completely electronic form, either on-line over the Internet or using
physical media. In order to facilitate the transition to E-filing, this new system
is based on the present PCT-EASY software.

"You will find on this website an introduction to the new PCT-SAFE software, how
it works and how you as a PCT user will benefit from it. It also provides detailed
information regarding the technical and legal framework that will enable the
implementation of electronic filing and processing of PCT applications. The site also
includes a section on PCT-EASY, previously a separate website, to provide support to over
8000 registered PCT-EASY users worldwide".
To find out more, visit the PCT-SAFE website here.
| WIPO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Thursday, 01 August 2002
- IP
Australia - New Online Service Website
IP Australia have just announced their "new" online services
website. The Online Services section of IP Australia's website can be accessed via this link.
Unfortunately, as discussed in yesterday's posting, due to the continuing implementation
of the new system, users will not be able to conduct searches of the NPS (New Patents
Solution) database.

IP Menu will keep you informed as to when the new database comes online.
| IP Australia Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- USA - The Bicentennial of the United States Patent and Trademark
Office
The President of the United
States of America has issued a proclamation: "For two centuries, the United States Patent
Office has played a vital role in the scientific, technical, and economic development of
our Nation by granting inventors patents for their inventions. As Abraham Lincoln once
stated, patents "added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius."
................. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim the Bicentennial of the United States Patent and
Trademark Office. I call upon all Americans to recognize this anniversary with appropriate
programs, ceremonies, and activities, thereby honoring the Office's many scientific,
economic, and cultural contributions to our Nation and the world".
To read the full "proclamation", visit the USPTO website here.
| USPTO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Wednesday, 31 July 2002
- Australia
- New Patent System Saga
As previously reported, the Australia Patent Office, IP Australia, is introducing a
new patent database system. Unfortunately, the implementation of the system is not
going to plan and there is now a significant issue developing with a large amount of data
becoming unsearchable. The following appeared in the latest official journal but has yet
to appear on their website. This situation is becoming quite a concern.
"IP Australia wishes to advise its customers that
information about patent applications filed after 5 July 2002 is currently not available
in the Australian Official Journal of Patents (AOJP)
The Innovation Supplement to the AOLJP will contain information about these applications.
Unfortunately, publication of this Supplement will be delayed for some weeks due to the
continuing implementation phase of Release 2.1 of the New Patent Solution.
However information about existing patent applications is available from IP Australia's
website, the AOJP and the CDROM products that are available in our State Offices.
Details about when this Supplement will be published will be provided in the Official
Notices of the AOJP".
What does this all mean? Well, application filed since 5 July 2002 (which will all use the
new numbering system) are not searchable in either the Official Journal or on any online
database. If you are conducting watches, monitoring for divisional applications etc, you
currently have a potential problem.
If you have any questions about Australian patent information, and in particular about
potential problems caused by IP Australia's delay, please do not hesitate to contact us here at IP Organisers.
| IP Australia Website | IP Organisers Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Delphion Newsletter
- 29 July 2002
The Delphion Newsletter for 29 July 2002 is now available on the Delphion
Website. The articles include:
"Best of the Web" - "Delphion has been
awarded a "Best of the Web" distinction by PC World! This honor - which has also
been bestowed upon such industry leaders as Amazon, EBay and Google - is for those select
websites that, the magazine says, "get it right"".
Matt Wise Joins as General Manager - "Delphion has
added Matt Wise in the new position of general manager of Delphion Research".
Delphion's New Customer Advisors Benefit You
Delphion Adds Resellers in Europe and Asia
U.S. Class Browser Updated
Organize Your Patent Research with Work Files -
"Delphion's Work Files help you organize your research by enabling you to create
personalized lists of patents. For example, you can use Work Files to save lists of
frequently referred-to patents or lists of patents in a portfolio".
To read the full newsletter, visit the Delphion website here.
| Delphion Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- CDNameSearch
CDNameSearch provides an "Interactive Trademark Search on CDROM and
Internet with US (USPTO) and Canadian (CIPO) databases for intellectual property
professionals". To find out more, visit their website.
| CDNameSearch Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Tuesday, 30 July 2002
Monday, 29 July 2002
- Canada
- Designs - DesignPlus - New System Launched for Processing Industrial Designs
The Canadian
Intellectual Property Office has announced that on 10 June this year the Industrial
Design Office launched a new electronic processing system called "DesignPlus".
"With this system, the ID Office is now able to enter and electronically capture
all pertinent information relating to newly filed industrial design applications and
amendments, including the data capture of new and amended drawings by scanning. All of the
processing stages of an application from filing up to and including registration can now
be completed electronically, as well as the recordal of assignments affecting pending and
newly registered designs". To find out more, visit the CIPO website here.
| CIPO
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- PIUG
2003 Annual Conference - Call For Papers
PIUG has announced its theme for the 2003 Annual Conference to be held
in Chicago, IL, USA on 3-9 May 2003. The theme is "Patent Analysis". Lucy Akers,
the Chair of PIUG has just published the following call for papers. I had the privilege to
speak at this years conference at Berkeley CA, USA and I must say it was a great
experience. These conferences are an incredibly valuable forum to meet others in the
Patent information industry. If you are not already a member of PIUG, I strongly recommend
becoming one. Membership is inexpensive, but the benefits of being involved in this
organisation are enormous.
An International Conference for Patent Information Professionals
Focus:
Patent Analysis
Date: May 3-9, 2003
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Call for Speakers
"PIUG is pleased to announce the PIUG 2003 annual conference will be held in
Chicago, IL, May 3-9, 2003. The abstract submission process is now open. Please be advised
that your abstract may be published on the internet or elsewhere, shortly after receipt or
at any time thereafter. Therefore, do not include confidential or business-sensitive
information in your abstract.
The Program Committee is looking for abstracts from corporate, patent office, or law firm
patent information users who are able to discuss methods (preferred) and/or tools used
within their organizations for patent analysis. For example, consider preferred approaches
for analyzing patent search results for various patent search types (e.g. state of the
art, patentability, identifying potential licensors, etc.).
Please send your proposed speaker name, brief biography, full contact information,
presentation title, and abstract to lucyakers@btopenworld.com. If you think you may be
interested in speaking but require management approval beforehand, please let us know so
that we can begin to consider your general proposal for a paper in the meantime (just a
few descriptive sentences will do).
We strongly encourage you to submit abstracts by August 15, 2002, however we reserve the
right to accept abstracts at any time in order to assemble the best possible program.
Invited speakers will take precedence over other speakers.
We hope to publish a very preliminary agenda in the fall PIUG Newsletter. Currently our
proposal is to have general sessions on Monday and Wednesday (mostly focused from the
customer group-type perspective) with a vendor and exhibitor presentations on Tuesday.
Workshops and other training sessions will most likely be held pre-meeting Saturday and
Sunday and post-meeting Thursday and Friday, so you may wish to eventually plan your
travel arrangements accordingly".
To find out more, please contact Lucy Akers, PIUG Chair
Akers & Co.
Grey Friars, Spring Road
Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 3PP
England
tel: +44 (0) 1582 467699
fax: +44 (0) 1582 467615
email: lucyakers@btopenworld.com
| PIUG Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Australia
- New Domain Names Dispute Resolution Policy
The .au Domain Names Dispute Resolution Policy (auDRP) will
commence on 1 August 2002. The aim of the auDRP is to provide a cheaper, speedier
alternative to litigation for the resolution of disputes between the registrant of a .au
domain name and a party with competing rights in the domain name. The full policy is
available from the auDA website here.
| auDA Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Friday, 26 July 2002
- Eurasian
Patent System: Recent Developments
The
European Patent Office together with the Eurasian Patent Office and in co-operation with
the National Patent Offices of France and the United Kingdom will host the seminar
entitled "The Eurasian Patent System: Recent Developments" on 18 November
2002 in Munich (DE), 20 November 2002 in Paris (FR) and 22 November 2002 in London (GB).
For further information, visit the EPO website here.
| European Patent Office
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- MicroPatent
- Data Export Enhancements!
MicroPatent have added new "Data Export
Enhancements" to their WorkSheets service within PatSearch FullTexts
WorkSheets. "Now you can select from an extensive list of bibliographic and text
fields, including claims, for export into a delimited format and use in the desktop
application of your choice. The export format includes field names, which become column
headers when imported into spreadsheets or tables". One of the exciting features
is the ability to export abstract information.
Export Formats Include:
TSV tab delimited (delivered as a .txt file and importable into MS WordŽ
and/or ExcelŽ spreadsheets)
CSV comma delimited (delivered as a .csv file and importable into MS Word
and/or Excel spreadsheets, as well as into BizInt Smart Charts)
RIS RIS file of all data for pre-defined formats (delivered as a .txt file
and importable into Reference ManagerŽ, ProciteŽ, or EndnoteŽ, plus all products of ISI
ResearchSoft using the RIS filter) Note: RIS format is not user-selectable
To find our more about these new enhancements, visit the MircoPatent website.
| MicroPatent Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- GetIPDL
- Free Patent Downloading Software
Carl Oppedahl from Oppedahl
& Larson LLP recently posted an article about GetIPDL to the PIUG newsgroup that
fully deserves a reposting here.
"A mention was made last September of free software called GetIPDL, but I wonder if
everyone on the list fully appreciated what this free software has to offer.
This is software which receives from you a patent number and a country. It then runs off
to the web site of that country's patent office and obtains images of all of the pages of
the patent. It then stitches them together neatly into a PDF file for you, which you can
store on your hard disk etc. Or you can store a multipage TIFF. Or you can store the text
of the patent complete with hyperlinks.
All for free. It works for lots of countries.
The software is available free from http://www.aurora.dti.ne.jp/~ujihara/GetIPDL/English/
.
My impression is that the author is a struggling chemistry grad student who found the time
to write this software and give it away. The author has a "wish list" of
chemistry textbooks that he hopes happy users will purchase for him from Amazon.
We saved a thousand dollars or so in the past few weeks, using this software. We then went
to the author's "wish list" and purchased one of the listed books to be a gift
for the author. If you use GetIPDL I hope you will consider doing this too".
We at IP Menu fully support Carl's comments and encourage all users of GetIPDL to visit
Kazuya Ujihara's Amazon Wish List and send a book as a gift to Kazuya to show your
support for his great software.
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Feathers
- Free US Trademark Software from Oppedahl & Larson LLP.
Oppedahl & Larson LLP
have beta-test software called FeathersŽ. The Feathers software lets you build up a list
of the US trademark applications and registrations which you would like to monitor. "You
can run the software to obtain the status of each application and registration. Later, you
can run the software again, and it will tell you what changes there have been to the
status of the applications and registrations. The software can automatically send an email
notification to one or more email addresses whenever the status of an application or
registration changes. The software will also create a web (HTML) page which you may choose
to place on an intranet web site for easy viewing and searching by persons within your
organization".
To find our more about FeathersŽ please visit the FeathersŽ site here on the Oppedahl & Larson LLP website.
| Feathers Website | Oppedahl & Larson LLP Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Partridge
- Free US PAIR Software from Oppedahl & Larson LLP
Oppedahl & Larson LLP
have beta-test software called PartridgeŽ. The Partridge software lets you build up a
list of the US patent applications and patents which you would like to monitor. "You
can run the software to obtain the status of each application and patent. Later, you can
run the software again, and it will tell you what changes there have been to the status of
the applications and patents. The software can automatically send an email notification to
one or more email addresses whenever the status of an application or patent changes. The
software will also create a web (HTML) page which you may choose to place on an intranet
web site for easy viewing and searching by persons within your organization.".
To find our more about PartridgeŽ please visit the PartridgeŽ site here on the Oppedahl & Larson LLP website.
| Partridge Website | Oppedahl & Larson LLP Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Thursday, 25 July 2002
- GetIPDL -
Upgrade (1.9.7) to Patent Downloading Software
GetIPDL
release another update to their beta Patent Downloading software (which is free!)
They have released a further Beta upgrade (1.9.7) which now includes the ability to
download mulitple patents at one time and kept up with changes to WO numbering on Depatis
and espacenet. A history of the software changes can be found here.
To find out more, please visit the GetIPDL website here.
| Get IPDL Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- United Kingdom - The Prototype Trade Mark Journal
The UK
Patent Office (Trade Mark Registry) has produced a prototype of the front part of the
Trade Marks e-journal. The Office is seeking users comments and feedback.
THe Office still intends to continue to produce the paper copy of the journal if there is
a demand (I suspect that there will be!), the paper copies will only be produced in black
and white. The marks will be advertised in numerical order and they will print indexes at
the back of the journal in the same format as the electronic indexes. The electronic
journal is expect to be introduced in January 2003.
Click here
to access the Prototype Electronic Journal.
| UK Patent Office Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- United
Kingdom - Electronic Filing of Trade Mark Applications
The UK Patent Office have introduced a new service that allows
"regular customers" to file trade mark applications electronically. "The
e-filing software (which is called PaTrAS) has been developed jointly by the patent and
trade mark offices of Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK as part of the
MIPEX II project. It will be used in the UK for trade mark electronic filings. The
software is designed to be used by different types of customers - from those who use a
word processor to prepare their applications right through to those who have their own
database or record management system".
To find our more about electronic filing of UK Trade Mark applications, visit the UK
Patent Office website here.
| UK Patent Office Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Wednesday, 24 July 2002
- Questel-Orbit - New Patent Citation Features
Questel-Orbit
announced today that their "PatCite" feature will allow easy forward and
backward citation searching in PlusPat. The also announced the "FAMCITE"
citation report in PlusPat.
Questel-Orbit offers three citation commands:
- CITF does a forward citation search for a set of records.
- CITB does a backward citation search for a set of records.
- FAMCITE creates a citation report for a patent family.
The CITF and CITB are available in the following databases:
- EPPATENT, European Patents
- FRPATENT, French Patents
- WOPATENT, PCT Applications
- USPAT, U.S. Patents
- DEPAT, German Patents and Utility Models
- PLUSPAT, Worldwide Patents
There is no charge for use of the CITF and CITB commands and no MEM charges in PlusPat.
All records displayed after use of these commands are charged at the normal rate.
The FAMCITE command is available in the PlusPat database, which contains cited references
for US, EP, WO and FR patents. After conducting a family search for a single patent
family, you can display a complete citation report with the FAMCITE command. The report
displays in three parts:
- The original source family
- The citing patent families (families with a patent citing a member of the source family)
- The cited patent families (families with a patent cited by a member of the source
family)
For more information, visit the Questel-Orbit website or download their brochure
in PDF.
| Questel-Orbit Website
|
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Tuesday, 23 July 2002
- State
Intellectual Property Office of China Database
The State Intellectual Property Office of the Peoples Republic of China
have released their English language - Chinese Patent Abstracts database. The
database provides field searching and boolean operators. It appears to be modelled
on the WIPO PCT Gazette model. Click here to to directly to the search page.

| SIPO
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- RIC
- Technical Translation Services
RIC International was founded by a group of international
scientists and linguists in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1991 to meet the growing need for
technical translation services. The linguists in their worldwide network of accredited
translators hold advanced degrees in fields as diverse as nuclear energy, finance,
information technology, and biotechnology.
The technology coverage is quite impressive: Including, Aerospace, Agribusiness,
Automotive, Biomedical, Branding, Chemical, Corporate Communications, Electronics,
Engineering, Environment and Pollution, Financial Services, Geology, Human Resources,
Insurance, Legal/Patents/Intellectual Property, Marketing/Advertising, Medical, Networks
and Telecommunications, Nuclear Energy/Nuclear Materials, Petrochemicals/Oil/Gas,
Pharmaceuticals, Robotics, Semiconductors.
To find out more, visit the RIC
website.
| RIC Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Monday, 22 July 2002
- GetIPDL -
Upgrade (1.9.4) to Patent Downloading Software
GetIPDL
release another update to their Patent Downloading software (which is free!) They
have released a further Beta upgrade (1.9.4) which now includes the ability to download
mulitple patents at one time and kept up with changes to WO numbering on Depatis and
espacenet. A history of the software changes can be found here.
To find out more, please visit the GetIPDL website here.
| Get IPDL Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Switzerland - Bin Ladin Trademark Registration Revoked
The Swiss
Federal Institute of Intellectual Property has just released a Press Release
announcing the revocation of a trademark registration for the mark "Bin Ladin".
On 17 February 2001 (before the 11 September attacks), a company applied to the Federal
Institute of Intellectual Property to register a trademark 'BIN LADIN' for various goods
and services. The trademark registration application was examined by the Institute and
registered on August 16, 2001, before the events of 11 September 2001.
"The events of September 11, 2001 have altered public perception of the sign 'BIN
LADIN' to the extent that it must now appear in a completely different light in regards to
trademark examination. For these reasons the Institute has instigated a procedure to
reexamine and revoke the registration on its own authority".
"After requesting a formal opinion from the owner of the trademark and examining the
arguments presented, the Institute came to the opinion that the shift in public perception
of the sign since the date when the trademark was registered represents a factual change
of circumstances and thereby justifies a reexamination of the mark. In addition, the
federal judiciary requirement which states that particularly important public interests be
at stake in order to reconsider is fulfilled. The trademark 'BIN LADIN' is a reminder of
the events of September 11, 2001 and of a new and incomprehensible dimension of terrorism.
As a consequence, the name "Bin Ladin" can now be seen as offensive to the moral
sensibilities of a considerable section of the public. Therefore, the trademark
registration is being revoked as a violation of Article 2d of the Swiss Federal Law for
the Protection of Trademarks and Indications of Origin (August 28, 1992)".
To read the full Press Release, click here.
| Swiss Federal Institute of
Intellectual Property Website |
Posted by Simon Ware.
- USPTO
- Service Downtime
It appears to be the month of IP website's going off-line! The USPTO
have announced
that due to an "Electrical Power Outage" between the hours of 9 PM Eastern (US)
time on Saturday, 27 July and 6 AM Eastern Time (US) on Sunday, 28 July, all online USPTO
systems, including the the uspto.gov website will be unavailable while they undergo
scheduled preventive maintenance for the electrical power systems.
| USPTO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Australia
- IP Australia Website Problems
As reported last week, IP Australia's website and services were to be
unavailable over the weekend, coming back online 8pm Sunday evening (AEST). Unfortunately,
as of 6am this morning the website still appears to be offline. Access to the legacy
mainframe system appears to be available, however all web services are still offline. We
will keep you informed.
| IP Australia Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Friday, 19 July 2002
- Canada - Commissioners Decision Database Now Available
Some great news from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office
this morning. The CIPO has announced access to a new Commissioners Decision
Database. This is a searchable database that contains the public bilingual decisions
issued by the Commissioner since 1970. The data for new Commissioner's Decisions will
normally be available on the site within a week of the Commissioner's Decision being made
public. You can access the database from the CIPO main
page or from here.
| CIPO
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Australia - Ordering Patent Specification
IP Organisers, the company that
brings you IP MENU, also provides a large range of IP products with that unique Australian
flavour. Our most popular products are our electronic patent specifications and file
histories. Pre-1999 Australian patent specifications are only available on microfiche,
however IP Organisers can supply them in electronic format (Adobe PDF) within 24 hours
(often much quicker). To find our more please visit our IP Organisers website
or contact Simon Ware.
| IP Organisers Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- United
Kingdom - Electronic Filing at The Patent Office - Consultation
The UK Patent Officer has released a "Proposed Order under
Sections 8 and 9 of the Electronic Communications Act 2000 to amend the Patents Act
1977". The consultation
paper is available for review and sets out the proposals for amending the Patents Act
1977 and Patents Rules 1995 to "facilitate and provide a firm basis for
regulating electronic communication with the Patent Office".
This consultation is aimed at informing the public of this aspect of Patent Office
practice and procedure to enable full account to be taken of users views. Responses
will be welcome from anyone interested in the operation of the patent system in the United
Kingdom, but especially from those who have been, are, or expect to be users of the
system.
For further information, visit the UK Patent Office website here.
| UK Patent Office Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- USA
- Rogan's Statement
James Rogan, the USPTO Director has delievered a statement before the Subcommittee on
Courts, the Internet and Intellectual on Thursday, 18 July 2002. The Hearings were on the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Fee Schedule Adjustment and Agency Reform. You can read
the full text of the delivered statement at the USPTO website here.
"A little over three months ago, this Subcommittee conducted an important
oversight hearing on the operations and funding of the USPTO. At that hearing, I described
the rather grave situation that confronted the agency due to our increasingly large and
complex workload. For example, an estimated seven million patent applications are
currently pending in the world's examination pipeline, and the annual workload has been
growing at a rate of 20-30 percent. Because of this unprecedented growth, patent pendency
rates in the United States now average over two years, and without significant changes to
our method of processing applications, data shows pendency soon will reach three to four
years. The backlog of unexamined patent applications continues to grow as well. We
currently have a backlog of approximately 400,000 applications, and this year we project
we will receive a total of 340,000 new patent applications. To complicate matters, the
technologies we are examining are increasingly complex, with applications sometimes
accompanied by the equivalent of millions of pages of supporting data". Full
Text.
| USPTO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- STN - New life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering File
on STN
STN
International has announced a new online service for scientific and technical information
has been added to their range of databases. The new database (FEDRIP)
offers access to information on ongoing federally funded U.S. research projects in the
fields of life sciences, physical sciences and engineering.
"FEDRIP is a directory covering reports and U.S. government documents on
federally funded research in progress. Records in the database are gathered from various
U.S. federal agencies, hence containing information of interest to many different markets.
Some of the key markets include agriculture, energy, engineering, geology, health,
pharmaceuticals, and regulatory. Records in FEDRIP contain the title, report number,
contract number, principal investigator, other staff, performing and sponsoring
organizations, URLs for performing organizations, funding information, project duration
information, a summary of the research, research progress, and index terms".
To find out more visit the STN website.
| STN Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Thursday, 18 July 2002
- Australia - IP Australia Online Systems Unavailable
IP Australia have announced that all IP Australia's online services, including
their web site, Mainframe & ATMOSS
searching and Online Application Filing will be unavailable from 7:30 am (AEST) on
Saturday 20 July until approximately 8:00 pm on Sunday 21 July. "During this time
IP Australia will be installing an Uninterruptible Power Supply in our computer data
centre. At the same time several other service improvements are being made with the view
to increasing the reliability and performance of IP Australia's electronic services".
| IP Australia Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- MyIP
- Intellectual Property Asset Management Software
MyIP
is a UK based company that provides Intellectual Property Asset Management software. "Intellectual
Property (IP) is at the heart of an increasing number of businesses, and is often an
organization's most valuable asset. It can be a source of competitive advantage, for
example, through Patenting, and Licensing IP can provide a significant revenue stream.
Frequently IP is poorly managed through a mixture of paper and spreadsheet systems. The
loss of IP can be disastrous. MyIP provides technology transfer professionals with an
easy-to-use system that brings discipline to the management of intellectual property
data". To find our more, visit their website.
| MyIP Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Australia
- Software/Copyright - Parallel Importation Permited
The Copyright Amendment
(Parallel Importation) Bill 2002 was introduced into the Australian parliament in March.
The purpose of the Bill is to enable legal parallel importation of computer software
products, books, periodical publications and sheet music into Australia.
At present in Australia, it is an infringement of copyright for a person to import into
Australia for sale or hire any computer software, books, periodicals or sheet music if the
items in question contain copyright material and the importer does not have the
authorization of the copyright owner. The government is of the view that this results in
Australians paying artificially high prices for these items, and it reduces availability.
Under the proposed legislation, as soon as the legislation receives Royal assent it will
no longer be a copyright infringement for a person to import computer software products
without the copyright owner's permission. The implementation of the provisions relating to
books, periodical publications and sheet music is proposed to be delayed for 12 months.
A copy of the Bill is available here.
For more information on these changes to Australian law, please contact John Gibbs of Phillips Ormonde & Fitzpatrick.
| Phillips Ormonde & Fitzpatrick
Website | IP Organisers
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- WIPO -
Notice - Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
On May 30, 2002, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia deposited its
instrument of accession to the Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the
Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure. That Treaty will enter
into force with respect to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on August 30, 2002.
| WIPO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Wednesday, 17 July 2002
- Australia - New
Domain Name Policies Effective 1 July 2002
A new Australian domain names regime came into force on 1 July 2002,
making it easier for non-Australian-based organizations to obtain Australian domain names.
Under the previous regime, a non-Australian company could not register a domain name in
the com.au domain unless the company was registered to trade in Australia or
owned an Australian business name registration. The domain name had to be derived directly
from the registered company or business name, and each business entity could only register
one domain name. As a result it was difficult and expensive for a non-Australian business
to obtain rights to a com.au domain name.
Under the new regime, an entity may register more than one domain name, and eligibility in
the com.au and net.au second level domains may be based on
ownership of an Australian trade mark registration or pending application. Each
registration is for a period of 2 years, and a registration based on a pending trade mark
application cannot be renewed at the end of the 2 year period unless the trade mark
application has been accepted. Domain names in the com.au second level domain
must exactly match or be an acronym for the registrant's company, business, trading,
association or statutory body name, or the words comprising the registrant's Australian
registered trade mark or trade mark application. Alternatively, the domain name may be
otherwise closely and substantially connected to the registrant because the domain name
refers to a product that the registrant manufactures or sells, a service that the
registrant provides, an event that the registrant organizes or sponsors, an activity that
the registrant teaches, facilitates or trains, a venue that the registrant operates, or a
profession that the registrant's employees practise.
New policies have come into force for each of the com.au,
asn.au, org.au", id.au and net.au second
level domains.
For further information contact Scott
Gardiner at IP Organisers.
Details of the policy are available at the auDA website.
| Phillips Ormonde & Fitzpatrick
Website | IP Organisers
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- New
Zealand - New Trade Bill Progress
The New Zealand Trade Marks Bill has not yet proceeded through parliament. When
enacted, it is expected that the new legislation will bring New Zealand practice more
closely into line with practice in other countries. In March the Commerce Committee lodged
its report in relation to the Bill. A number of the features of the Bill were considered
contentious.
The Commerce Committee made some recommendations, including that a specific clause
relating to the protection of shape trade marks be omitted, so that the registrability of
shape trade marks will depend instead on general distinctiveness criteria. The Committee
also recommended that the protection afforded to well-known trade marks be strengthened.
Contentious issues included the non-use period. Under the present law, a trade mark
can be removed from the register if it has not been used in New Zealand for a continuous
period of 5 years. The Bill proposes to reduce this period to 3 years.
The Bill also proposes to abolish defensive registrations. A defensive registration
is available under the current law where the owner of a registered trade mark relating to
particular goods or services has used that trade mark very extensively and has acquired a
substantial reputation, so that the use of the trade mark for other goods or services is
likely to be taken as indicating a connection with the trade mark owner, even if the trade
mark owner does not use or intend to use the trade mark in relation to those other goods
or services. Defensive registrations are still available in Australia.
For further information contact David
MacBeth at Phillips Ormondge &
Fitzpatrick. A copy of the Bill
is available from the NZ Government.
| Phillips Ormonde & Fitzpatrick
Website | IP Organisers
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Copyright
- Australia - Record Companies Fined
The Australian Federal Court has recently fined two record companies,
Universal Music Australia Pty Limited and Warner Music Australia Pty Limited, $450,000
each for breaches of the anti-competitive provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974 for
trying to stop the sale of legal parallel imported CDs. The Court also fined
executives between $45,000 and $50,000 each for being knowingly involved in the
contraventions.
In 1998 the Australian Copyright Act was amended to permit parallel imports of
sound recordings - importing copies of recordings that were made with the consent of the
copyright owner in the country where they were made. The record companies had opposed this
change. The reaction of Universal and Warner to the new provisions was to threaten to
withdraw supply from or alter the trading terms of retailers who parallel
imported CDs in their respective catalogues and in some cases Universal and Warner
did withdraw supply. The withdrawal of supply quickly became known in the industry.
Significantly Universal had only a 17% market share and Warner had a 15-16% market share
of the market for recorded music. In order for there to be a breach of s46 of the Trade
Practices Act (which deals with abuse of market power) a company must have a
substantial degree of power in a market. Warner and Universal argued that they
did not have this market power. The court accepted that the record companies were unable
to fix prices in the overall market above the competitive level. The judge conceded that
the lower the percentage of market share, the less likely it will be that there is
substantial market power. However, because of the special nature of the music industry
where chart music gave the record companies temporary monopolies in particular hit music
on a frequent basis and where retailers needed to access the whole catalogue of a record
company, the judge held that each of Universal and Warner did have a substantial degree of
market power. The record companies had taken advantage of that power for an
anti-competitive purpose.
Of interest to intellectual property practitioners are the judge's remarks about
the new parallel importation provisions of the Copyright Act. He considered that it may be
difficult if not impossible to satisfy the provisions because an importer intending to
rely on the new provisions as a defence to infringement bore the onus of showing that the
copy was a non-infringing copy. Establishing who owned the copyright in a particular
recording and whether they gave consent may be very difficult. Any attempts to control the
price of a company's products in the market place may give rise to very severe penalties
under the Trade Practices Act (up to $10 million) and advice should be sought before
engaging in such activities.
The decision has been appealed. Australian
Competition & Consumer Commission v Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd [2001] FCA
1800
For further information contact John
Gibbs at Phillips Ormondge &
Fitzpatrick.
| Phillips Ormonde & Fitzpatrick
Website | IP Organisers
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Tuesday, 16 July 2002
- PIUG Northeast Workshop
PIUG,
Inc., The International Society for Patent Information has announced preliminary details
for the PIUG Northeast Workshop which will be held 8 October 2002 at the Hilton
Woodbridge, Iselin, NJ, USA. Elyse Turne from PIUG has posted details of the meeting and
registration forms on the PIUG
website.
Registration is FREE for members and $30 for non-PIUG members. Registration is limited.
PIUG members will be given priority for registration. If you are not currently a member,
please visit their web-site
to join. The Registration Deadline is 24 September 2002.
Louis O. Massel will be the keynote speaker and will speak on PCT patent procedures.
Anabstract for his talk is available at on the PIUG website here.
| PIUG Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- GetIPDL -
Kazuya Ujihara - A Man Of Many Talents
Kazuya Ujihara, the person behind the patent downloading software GetIPDL
will be presenting at the 224th ACS National Meeting, Boston, August 18-22, 2002. The
poster presentations "Total synthesis of velamone: A trans-clerodane
diterpene.", paper number 777, will be held on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 from 8:00
PM to 10:00 PM.
| GetIPDL
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Monday, 15 July 2002
- PatSee PRO Beta Upgrade
Speaking
to John Mayall over the weekend and he tells me that there is another release of this
PatSee PRO software available. This is version 3.10 beta 1 and it is now available from
the Image Applications
website. This includes bug fixes such as a fix to allow cut and pasting of patent
lists for multiple downloads of PCT A2 specifications.
I also believe that John has something new in the bag for PatSee PRO users. I don't know
much about it at the moment except the upgrade will be free for PatSee PRO and will
include some useful enhancements. We will keep you posted!
To find out more about PatSee PRO and other applications from John, visit Image Applications.
| Image Applications Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Derwent - UK Company Patent Study
Derwent Information Annual UK Company
Patent study has showen that high-tech companies dominate innovation. "The
Derwent Information annual study into the number of basic patents filed in the UK during
2001 shows that technology companies dominated innovation. Derwent Information research
reveals that out of the top ten ranked companies, by number of basic* patents filed, six
filed a large number in the engineering technology sectors ranging from basic
patents filed in the telephone and data transmission systems, broadcasting, radio and line
transmission systems, and digital computers fields".
To read the full Derwent press release and view the statistics, click here.
| Derwent Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- United
Kingdom - Seminars on Evidence in Trade Mark Disputes
The UK Trade Marks Registry will be holding a series of half-day seminars in
October relating to evidence in Trade Mark Disputes. "Delegates will be
encouraged to participate with practical exercises and case studies. They will cover
practice in the United Kingdom and also Community Trade Mark proceedings before the Office
for Harmonization in the Internal Market". Content will include:
- formalities of evidence;
- drafting of evidence;
- evidence in opposition and invalidity proceedings based on sections 3 and 5of the Trade
Marks Act 1994;
- evidence of use in revocation proceedings;
- evidence of reputation;
- evidence required for Article 8(4) oppositions and requirements for proof of use before
the OHIM.
For further information, visit the UK Patent Office website here.
| UK Patent Office Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- STN
- Derwent WPI - Truncation Enhancement
STN has announced an enhancement for Derwent WPI Subscribers searching on STN. "Simultaneous
Left and Right Hand Truncation (SLART) is now available in the Extension Abstract (ABEX)
field of the Derwent World Patents Index Extension subscriber File (WPIX) on STN. Until
recently, SLART was only
available in the Basic Index of file WPIX".
| STN Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Thursday, 11 July 2002
- Online Seminar -
CAS - Current Awareness in the Patent Literature
CAS is hosting an e-Seminar on Wednesday, 17 July 2002 (USA-EDST 1:00 PM |
GMT 17:00 GMT | UK 18:00 | DE 19:00). The seminar is free and is entitled "Current
Awareness in the Patent Literature - Its Role in Competitive Assessment." Maintaining
current scientific, technical, patent, business, and marketing knowledge relative to an
important intellectual property portfolio protects your company's endeavors". To
find out more and to sign up, visit CAS here.
| CAS Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Wednesday, 10 July 2002
- New
IP Auction Services - ipAuctions Inc.
ipAuctions Inc. is an Internet based auction company based in Reno,
Nevada USA. They specialize in auctions involving intellectual property, including
patents, trademarks, copyrights, databases, customer files and domain names. Their current
source is primarily the US Bankruptcy Courts, however Joseph Popolo, President and CEO of
ipAuctions Inc., tell IP Menu that they anticipate adding debtor-in-possession financing
institutions and corporate dispositions shortly.
The service commenced in May this year with the launch of its
website at www.ipauctions.com. "The
site specializes in auctioning intangible assets such as trademarks, patents, copyrights,
product licenses, customer databases, domain names, trade names and computer source code,
benefiting thousands of IP buyers and sellers worldwide".
A bit of background on ip Auctions Inc. The corporation is based in Reno, Nevada, and is
privately held and operated by a national (USA) business group comprised of attorneys,
certified public accountants, financial analysts and direct marketing experts.
If you are interested in finding out more about this new service, visit ipAuctions website or contact Joseph Popolo.
| ipAuctions website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Europe/Japan - EPIDOS Users' Meeting on Japanese Patent
Information
The EPO have announced that they shall be organising a special meeting
for users of Japanese patent information. "It will be your opportunity to meet
experts from the leading Japanese players, namely the Japan Patent Office, Japio and
Japanese data producers and distributors".
The conference is scheduled to be held at the European Patent
Office's Vienna sub-office, from 21 to 22 November 2002.
"In co-operation with our partners in Japan, we have put together a programme
that will be of interest to all users of Japanese patent information. In addition to
presentations by Japanese commercial and non-commercial data providers on the first day of
the meeting, you will be able to discuss problems and exchange ideas in smaller discussion
groups and special workshops on the second day. An evening event at one of Vienna's
typical Heurigen will be a pleasant occasion for strengthening your contacts with our
experts from Japan and the EPO".
To find out more, visit the EPIDOS webpage.
| EPO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Intellectual
Property Opportunities - Patent Attorney - Sydney - Trainee Patent Attorneys - Melbourne
Phillips Ormonde & Fitzpatrick is one
of Australias largest and most progressive firms of Patent & Trade Mark
Attorneys. Established in 1888, we employ more than 100 people in offices in Melbourne,
Sydney and Adelaide. We have the following positions available in our Melbourne and Sydney
offices.
Patent Attorney - Mechanical/Civil/Electrical/Electronics/Computer
Science Engineers
You will have an honours degree or higher degree in a field of Engineering and you will
need up to 5 years post admission experience in the patent profession. You will be
involved in all matters relating to intellectual property including the drafting and
prosecution of patent applications and advising across the full spectrum of portfolio
management. The successful applicant will be a team player with a high degree of
responsibility and initiative and possess in-depth knowledge of Australian, European and
US patent law and competence in the licensing of IP in a commercial environment.
Trainee Patent Attorneys -
Mechanical/Civil/Electrical/Electronics/Computer Science Engineers
You will be degree qualified in engineering at honours level. Experience working in
industry and handling intellectual property matters will be an advantage but is not
essential. The successful applicants will display strong interpersonal, verbal and written
communication skills. You will work with supervision and we provide access to training and
development in a friendly and professional environment. You will be required to undertake
study and sit examinations to gain the relevant qualifications.
Send applications by 12 July 2002 to:
Email: claudia.ginn@pof.com.au
Fax: +61 3 9614 1867
Mail: Claudia Ginn,
Human Resources Manager,
Phillips Ormonde & Fitzpatrick,
Level 21/367 Collins Street,
Melbourne 3000
Australia
- WIPO
- PCT Newsletter July 2002
The July 2002 issue of the PCT Newsletter is now available on WIPO's
Internet site.
In this issue:
- Most Frequent PCT Users in 2001
- Budapest Treaty
- New Feature: PCT Quiz
- PCT Information Update
- Practical Advice
- New PCT Materials on the Internet
- PCT Publications
- PCT Seminar Calendar
- PCT Fee Tables (available in Adobe PDF and MS-Word 97 formats)
- PCT Contracting States and Two-Letter Codes
| WIPO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Tuesday, 09 July 2002
- United
Kingdom - UK Patent Formalities Manual Now Online
The UK Patent Office has released the UK Patent Formalities Manual. It
is now available to download
for free or to purchase. "This manual is primarily intended to provide detailed
guidance for staff in the Patents Directorate as to the practice and procedures to be
followed in the various aspects of the formalities examination of patent applications in
accordance with the Patents Act 1977 and associated rules. In addition to applications
under the Patents Act 1977 the manual also deals with practice and procedures to be
followed in processing patent applications filed under the PCT. While the manual may be
regarded as a guide to action, it does not impose any particular line of action and may
not be quoted to that end".
| UK Patent Office Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Tuesday, 09 July 2002
- United
Kingdom - UK Patent Formalities Manual Now Online
The UK Patent Office has released the UK Patent Formalities Manual. It
is now available to download
for free or to purchase. "This manual is primarily intended to provide detailed
guidance for staff in the Patents Directorate as to the practice and procedures to be
followed in the various aspects of the formalities examination of patent applications in
accordance with the Patents Act 1977 and associated rules. In addition to applications
under the Patents Act 1977 the manual also deals with practice and procedures to be
followed in processing patent applications filed under the PCT. While the manual may be
regarded as a guide to action, it does not impose any particular line of action and may
not be quoted to that end".
| UK Patent Office Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Monday, 08 July 2002
- WIPO's Domain Name Database Goes Live
A database containing detailed information on thousands of cases of
"cybersquatting" handled by the Arbitration and Mediation Center of the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) became available on-line on 5 July 2002. To
search the database, click here. You can also read the full Press
Release.
"The WIPO Center is the leading dispute resolution service provider of the Uniform
Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) - a low-cost and speedy alternative to
litigation in the drive to resolve cases of "cybersquatting"".
| WIPO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Thursday, 04 July 2002
- PATWARE
- New CD ROM Delivery of Patent Documents
PATWARE have announced a new service is now available at INCOM. "From
now on, we offer a delivery service of patent documents on CD-R. All you have to do is to
send us a list of patent numbers and we send you a CD-R with all requested documents in
the PDF format". If you are interested in finding out more information, please
contact Thomas Eckert, Projektmanager PATWARE
at PATWWW Electronic Ordering and Delivering.
| Patware Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- Subscribe
to IP Menu News
If you don't get the chance or time to visit IP Menu News every day
then you should consider subscribing to our fortnightly email newsletter which includes
all the latest IP news together with the latest IP Conference Calendar. Subscription
is free. If you are interested in receiving this newsletter please click here.
- Is Your Firm
Listed On IP Menu Firms?
Is your firm listed on IP Menu Firms? If not, take the opportuntity to provide us with
some information including firm name, ofice locations, email addresses, website address
and a brief description of your firm. The service is free. If you are
interested please complete the following form.
Wednesday, 03 July 2002
- USA
- USPTO Announces Expanded Programs for Independent Inventors
"America's independent inventors, who comprise about
18% of filers with the Department of Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO), stand to gain substantially from the agency's 21st Century Strategic Plan. The
plan proposes legislation to establish a new micro-entity category for applicants.
Independent inventors currently receive a 50% discount on major fees paid to the office.
Those who qualify as micro-entities will receive an additional discount. Even with the
reduced fees, the USPTO will continue to provide searches for micro-entity
applicants". To find out more, read the full USPTO Media
Release.
| USPTO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- USA
- USPTO - Rogan's Way
Under Secretary Rogans spoke at the American Bar
Association-Intellectual Property Law Section IPL Summer Conference (Philadelphiaon) on 27
June 2002 regarding the future of the USPTO. The speech is now available at the USPTO
website, click here to read.
| USPTO Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- SAEGIS
- Euro Now Equals US Dollar on SAEGIS
SAEGIS have announced a change of billing practice. "Although
it is economically not yet the case, we have decided that on SAEGIS the euro equals the US
Dollar. An example: for a full text you used to pay 2.5 US$. Now you will pay 2.5.
Why?
* the euro is now recognised as a global currency
* the euro and the US Dollar are almost in equilibrium
* it is easier for you: what you use on SAEGIS, is also what you will be invoiced (so no
more exchange rate differences)
How can you see the changes?
Your invoice for the month of June will be based on prices in euro. No exchange rate will
be applied. You just pay the dollar amount, but in euro".
| SAEGIS
Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
Tuesday, 02 July 2002
Monday, 01 July 2002
- IP Australia's NPS project - Latest Update
"IP Australia wishes to advise its customers that implementation of
Release 2.1 of the NPS Project will begin on FRIDAY 5 JULY 2002".
"As indicated in previous NPS updates and at the Online Services area of IP
Australia's website, access to online services has been suspended from 9 PM Thursday 27
June 2002 and will be unavailable for a short period of time. Please be advised that such
action is necessary to ensure a successful implementation of this critical stage of the
NPS Project".
"Details regarding the resumption of online services will be available at this page and on the
Online Services site as soon as possible".
| IP Australia Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
- INAS Pricing Released
Pricing for INAS 3 PRO and INAS 3 LITE has been published.
INAS 3 PRO <Price: 900.00 GB pounds > "INAS (Information Analysis
System) is a software tool for analysing patent information and providing reports in text
or graphical form. The patent information may be derived from a variety of sources,
including Derwent searches and patent office databases".
INAS 3 LITE <Price: 600.00 GB pounds> "INAS (Information Analysis System)
is a software tool for analysing patent information and providing reports in text or
graphical form. The patent information may be derived from a variety of sources, including
Derwent searches and patent office databases".

| INAS Website |
Posted by Rodney Cruise.
|