IP Menu - home

Latest Intellectual Property Resources News
May - June 2003

Archive News

Monday, 30 June 2003

  • IP MENU Update
    IP MENU has updated the following Intellectual Property Resources:  

    IP Firms - Nepal - Global Law Associates P. Ltd
    "Global Law Associates P. Ltd. is one of the leading law firms in Nepal with a well-established reputation in the area of Intellectual Property, Company/Corporate, Foreign Investment, Technology Transfer, Joint Venture, Licensing and Contract Law as well as other related commercial Law. With 5 lawyers, patent and trademark attorneys, legal assistants working in Kathmandu office, the firm has extensive experience in providing highly efficient services to domestic and international clients in obtaining, maintaining and enforcing Intellectual Property Rights in Nepal. Additionally, association with other law firms of the world who is working in the field of Intellectual Property. The firm has developed specialization within the practice of intellectual property law, which may correspond to an attorney's technical expertise or focus on a particular area of law such as patent, trademark, design and copyright. Combinations of legal and technical education as well as working experience of the attorneys guarantee an excellent representation for clients."

    IP Firms - Nepal - Ojasbi & Associates
    "Ojasbi & Associates, An Intellectual Property Attorneys & Lawyers firm is one of the leading law firms in Nepal with a well-established reputation in the area of Intellectual Property, Company/Corporate, Foreign Investment, Technology Transfer, Joint Venture, Licensing and Contract Law as well as other related commercial Law. Please note our following services. Registration, renewal and recordal of change of particulars of trademarks, servicemarks, patents and industrial designs. Search and investigation services, trademark watching and infringement services. recordals of an assignment and licensing. trademark oppositions, cancellations and anti-counterfeiting actions. Domain name registrations. Company registration and consultancy."

    IP Firms - Nepal - Intellectual Property Service Centre (IPSC)
    "IPSC is one of the leading law firms in Nepal in the field of Intellectual Property, and we provide following services. Registration, renewal and recordal of change of particulars of trademarks, servicemarks, patents and Industrial Designs. Search and investigation services, trademark watching and infringement services. Recordals of an assignment and licensing. Trademark oppositions, cancellations and anti-counterfeiting actions. Domain name registrations"

    IP Firms - United States of America - Pennsylvania - MindMatters Technologies, Inc
    IP Firms - United States of America - Washington - MindMatters Technologies, Inc
    "MindMatters Technologies Inc., is an Innovation Intelligence solution provider delivering detailed visibility into the innovation processes of corporations--enabling companies to leverage and profit from intellectual assets. MindMatters' patent pending solution, Innovator™, accelerates the "time-to-commercialization" of new innovations and ideas by capitalizing on the latent intellectual capital that exists within corporations. With the Innovator, companies can more effectively inspire, manage and protect developing innovations and intellectual capital assets."

    IP Firms - China - Kings & Wood PRC Lawyers
    IP Firms - United States of America - California -Kings & Wood PRC Lawyers
    "King & Wood is one of the few law firms in China authorized by the Chinese government to represent foreign clients to process their respective patent and trademark applications. Over years of development, King & Wood has become the largest leading law firm in the country that provides comprehensive legal services. The clients of the firm include many well-known multinational corporations and Chinese companies, operating both in the public and private sectors. The firm is currently serving as the Chinese legal counsel for the 2008 Olympic Organization Committee. The Intellectual Property Department of the firm is an established team of a few well respected patent and trademark law practitioners in the country who have extensive experience in this area, particularly in the representation of foreign patent and trademark applicants. These lawyers have not only the requisite qualifications but also extensive practical experience, and many of them have spent years studying or working in universities and law firms in foreign countries, including America, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and other industrialized countries. Over the years, we have represented a great number of foreign and Chinese companies and successfully processed and dealt with their patent and trademark applications and related legal matters."

    IP Firms - Nicaragua - Aczalaw
    IP Firms - El Salvador - Aczalaw
    IP Firms - Honduras - Aczalaw
    IP Firms - Guatemala - Aczalaw
    IP Firms - Costa Rica - Aczalaw
    "ACZALAW Central American Law Firm has offices in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Our team consists of professional and highly qualified lawyers and advisors, with regional and international expertise in all legal areas. We understand the need of our clients to feel at home and receive advice of the highest quality. To that end we are committed to offering a personalized and efficient service. We are a group of professionals who believe in excellence and transparency. We operate based on solid principles and believe in the judicial system. Our principal objective is to transmit trust and add value to our clients."

    IP News Resources - Asia Legal Business
    "Asia's leading legal news and feature magazine with a large amount of IP news, feature articles and profiles, along with all other aspects of commercial law and jobs"

    Posted by Matthew Downing.

Friday, 27 June 2003

  • GetIPDL - New Version 2.5.13 Now Available
    getipdl-1.jpg (12607 bytes)GetIPDL have released another update to their Patent Downloading software.   Version 2.x is a Shareware program, however there is a freeware versions with certain limitations.    These limiations are removed when you register the product.  The cost is US$89.00 to get the registered version. It should be noted that the tracking or statistic feature which concerned many users is now removed in the licenced version. 

    The new version allows downloading of the full text and images from WIPO.

     To find out more, please visit the GetIPDL website here.


    | Get IPDL Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Wednesday, 25 June 2003

  • Dialog - July/August Chronolog Now Available
    The July/August 2003 issue of the Chronolog is now available. The online version contains additional information to that of the printed version. In this issue:

    - A Foreign News Service from the U.S. Government
    - Customized INSPEC® Content
    - Pre-Grant Publications (PGPs) Now in File 654
    - New Sources from FIND on Dialog NewsRoom and Dialog NewsEdge
    - Thesaurus Mapping Enhanced in MEDLINE on Dialog DataStarWeb

    Click here for Chronolog.

    | Dialog Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Tuesday, 24 June 2003

Monday, 23 June 2003

  • NIPRA Begins USPTO Fight Again
    The National Intellectual Property Researchers Association (NIPRA) have filed a second action in the US seeking to block the USPTO plan to eliminate the public patent and trademark collections.

    "WASHINGTON, DC June 19 - The National Intellectual Property Researchers Association (NIPRA) today filed a second action in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, seeking to bring the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) into compliance with section 4804(d)(2) of the American Inventors Protection Act. This action seeks to block the new USPTO plan to eliminate the public patent and trademark paper collections, critical collections relied upon for accurate intellectual property research.

    The lawsuit seeks to enjoin the USPTO from its announced plan to resume dismantling its paper collection of patents and trademarks. Despite overwhelmingly negative comment and public surveys demonstrating the public reliance on the collections, the USPTO has ignored public outcry and again embarked on the destruction of the country’s most valuable Intellectual Property resource.

    As a result of the initial action filed by NIPRA, the USPTO rescinded its earlier certification to Congress and instituted an expedited plan to resume updating and maintenance of the paper collections. Subsequently, that plan was included as part of the settlement agreement executed by the parties in April of 2003. In exchange for the provisions of the plan and
    recovery of its legal fees, NIPRA agreed to a stipulated dismissal without prejudice".

    To read the full NIPRA Press Release, click here.

    | NIPRA Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • Delphion - 4 Million More Original Patent Documents
    Some exciting news from Delphion, in addition to the US, EP and WO patent images that Delphion have previously provided, they now offer the ability to download full text patent specifications for national collections as well.

    "Just search our INPADOC collection, then click to instantly download the image. And just like that, you'll have in your hands the original patent document from Germany. Or Bulgaria. Or Romania. Or one from dozens of other national collections".  The cost for national collection patents is $3.00 (USD)

    For those where the specification is not instantly available, they appear to have integrated Thomsons Patent Store into their system allowing for hassle free orders.

    | Delphion Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • Canada - Fee Review
    The Canadian Intellectual Property Office has just published a notice on the CIPO Fee Review - "Fee and administrative changes amending the Patent Rules, the Trade-marks Regulations, the Industrial Design Regulations and the Copyright Regulations".

    The changes to the Rules amending the Patent Rules as well as Regulations amending the Trade-marks Regulations (1996), the Industrial Design Regulations and the Copyright Regulations were published in Part II of the Canada Gazette on June 18, 2003.

    The majority of administrative changes to the Patent Rules and Copyright Regulations came into effect on June 5, 2003. The majority of fee changes will come into force on January 1, 2004.

    Fee and administrative changes in relation to the functioning of CIPO as an International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) will enter into force in the second half of 2004.

    Further information is available here.

    | CIPO Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Friday, 20 June 2003

  • Trademarks - INTA New Website
    The International Trademark Association has announced the launch of its new website, www.inta.org. "The goals of the redesign are to better define and express the Association’s brand identity, to incorporate current best practices in technology and usability, and provide a website equal or superior to that of any peer institution".

    The enhancements include:
    - an easy-to-read navigation bar
    - a search engine
    - a section on the homepage that alerts visitors about new information on the site
    - more relevant and practical online content
    - frequently asked questions
    - glossary

    | INTA Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • United Kingdom - Trade Mark Disputes "De-Mystified"
    The United Kingdom Patent Office has release a new video that "de-mystifies" the trade mark dispute process.

    "The Patent Office is providing help to parties involved in trade mark disputes, in the form of a new video. Private individuals, as well as professional litigators, can benefit from the informative case study and interviews which make up the 35 minute video which explains how best to present a case before the Trade Marks Registry".

    To find out more about the video and associated seminars around the UK, visit the Patent Office here.

    | UK Patent Office Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Thursday, 19 June 2003

  • Derwent Innovations Index - Version 4.0
    Derwent have announced the latest version of the "Derwent Innovations Index".

    "Derwent Innovations Index version 4.0 opens the power of patent and citation searching to everyone in your organisation. It combines value-added patent records from Derwent World Patents Index® with patent citation information from Derwent Patents Citation IndexTM. Via an easy-to-use Web interface, you can access critical data from 11 million unique patent records, dating back to 1963, then use citation links to explore related ideas".

    The feature set now includes:

    - A quick search screen enables you to save time by quickly looking up a company or a topic without the need for a full search
    - Interactive lists enable you to load Derwent Manual Codes and Derwent Class Codes directly into search boxes without leaving the database
    - Abstracts and easy-to-understand titles enable you to view key information at a glance
    - Powerful indexing allows you to retrieve only the information relevant to your research
    - Thumbnail drawings in the summary results list allow you to quickly view key images
    - Email alerts keep you automatically updated in your area of interest
    - Searchable thesauri and other user aids help you obtain fast access to the information you need

    To find our more, click here.

    | Derwent website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • USPTO - Trilateral Meetings Advance 21st Century Strategic Plan
    A report from the USPTO on the third trademark trilateral cooperation meeting and the patent Trilateral Technical Meeting.

    "The third trademark trilateral cooperation meeting was held in Tokyo on May 27 and 28, followed by the patent Trilateral Technical Meeting on June 10-12. Officials from the world's three major intellectual property offices-the USPTO, the Japan (JPO) and European (EPO) patent offices-attended the sessions. "I am pleased to report that the meetings were highly productive and furthered the goals of the 21st Century Strategic Plan," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property James E. Rogan.

    Trilateral cooperation directly promotes international harmonization of IP rights around the world. In their discussions regarding a common international trademark application, improved search and patent quality, and electronic filing and processing of patent and trademark applications, the three offices agreed to:

    - produce a list of identifications of goods and services under the Nice classification system that are acceptable to all three offices;
    - develop a trilateral Web site;
    - adopt a comparative study on examination practices relating to Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and Haplotypes (multiple SNPs on a polynucleotide);
    - continue discussions and work in the area of electronic filing and processing;
    - continue to work on revising the PCT Search and Examination Guidelines; and
    - work together on strategic issues including fee policy, the reform of the PCT and the feasibility of establishing best practices in support of patent law harmonization.

    The heads of the three offices will meet at the annual Trilateral Conference in Tokyo this November".

    | USPTO Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Tuesday, 17 June 2003

  • Australia - Still More Problems with the "New Patent Solution"
    It seems the only time Australian IP gets a mention on IP Menu News is to report another problem with their NPS (New Patent Solutions) database. Today is no different. It seems that some data on the NPS is wrong. A particular case in point is innovation patent record 2001100568. It lists the "Date Accepted" as 27 May 2003 and the "Date Certified" as 21 November 2002. In fact the dates should read "22 January 2001" and "15 October 2002" respectively.

    An isolated incident? Apparently not. IP Australia have admitted that they are aware of a problem whereby there is a "corruption" of data in the transfer from their online file system to the new NPS system. Unfortunately, we don't know the extent of this problem and how many dates are incorrectly appearing in NPS. For those of us who regularly watch an application for opposition purposes this is a nightmare scenerio.

    We will keep you updated with the next chapter of what is becoming a very sorry saga.

    One day I hope to have something positive to report from IP Australia!

    | IP Australia Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • Egypt - 121st PCT State
    On 6 June 2003, Egypt (EG) became the 121st PCT Contracting State. The PCT will enter into force for that State on 6 September 2003. Further information will be published in Section IV of the PCT Gazette and in a WIPO Update.

    | WIPO Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Monday, 16 June 2003

  • OHIM - Community Design Bulletin Search Now Available

    OHIM have announced a new search feature for the Community Design Bulletin. The Community Designs Bulletin is only published in electronic format (PDF), as a multilingual edition in the eleven official languages of the European Union.

    It comprises three parts:

    Part A – Registrations of Community designs
    Part B – Entries in the Register subsequent to registration
    Part C – Renewals and information on expired registrations

    It may be viewed in PDF or can be searched using the new search interface on the OHIM website.

    | OHIM Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • CIPA - New President
    Congratulations go to Dr Anna Denholm, the new President of CIPA. The Chartered Institute of Patent Agents (CIPA) is the professional body representing Patent Attorneys in the UK. CIPA was founded in 1882 and incorporated by Royal Charter in 1891.

    Anna has a B.Sc. in Agricultural Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. After being awarded her doctorate she continued her research career as a university postdoctoral scientist both at Bangor and Aberystwyth.

    She joined the patent profession in 1988 and has spent most of her time working in industry. She is qualified as a European Patent Attorney and Chartered Patent Agent and has an LLM in Advanced Litigation (The Nottingham Trent University) and a CIPA Litigator certificate. In 2001 she joined a firm of European Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys.

    | CIPA Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • Questel-Orbit - QPAT Enhancements
    Questel-Orbit have announced the release of a significantly enhanced version of QPAT, which is its web-based patent subscription product. Thanks to David Dickens from Questel-Orbit for the information. From the Questel-Orbit Press Release:

    Enhanced Patent Delivery

    The enhanced patent delivery ensures extensive coverage from over 40 patenting authorities, with the latest enhancements being:
    * PCT documents available on the day after publication
    * Expanded country coverage, including Canadian and Australian patents
    * Publication stages, such as European B patents and WO A3 search reports
    * Better availability tagging: PDF icons indicate that patent copies are deliverable
    * Improved shopping basket

    The shopping basket's enhancements let users track patents with patent number details and the new order tracking status. They can then use information, such as number of pages per document and PDF file sizes, to download patent copies directly from the shopping basket. Users can also directly display and save information.

    Navigation has been simplified by letting users go directly from their search to the Hit List display, where they can choose from several record display options.

    The anacubis Viewer Now Available in QPAT for Citation Analysis and Visualization

    Questel-Orbit and anacubis, a subsidiary of the i2 Group, are pleased to announce the release the first product resulting in their partnership announced earlier this year.

    The anacubis Viewer has been integrated into QPAT for patent citation analysis and visualization. This feature, now included in all QPAT subscriptions, lets users explore the complex relationships between cited and citing patents, automatically linking related assignees, inventors and ECLAs and USPCLs.

    This new tool helps customers
    * Identify and monitor competitors
    * Find corporate level citing relationships
    * Locate classification codes for further searching
    * Identify prior art for validity searching
    * Identify the significant inventors in a technology area
    * Combine patent data with other corporate information retrieved from other ancubis supported data-providers with the upcoming anacubis Desktop software.

    To find our more visit Questel-Orbit.

    | Questel-Orbit Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Friday, 13 June 2003

  • IP MENU Update
    IP MENU has updated the following Intellectual Property Resources:  

    2 July 2003 - Optimise your patent research: Research tools for effective patent portfolio management - London, UK (Derwent)
    17 September 2003 - Importance of Statistics on Patenting Trends Analysis and Projections - Geneva, Switzerland (WIPO)
    26-28 November 2003 - 5th Conference on Computerisation of Law via the Internet - Sydney, AU (AustLII)

    Posted by Kristine Baird.
  • IP MENU Update
    IP MENU has updated the following Intellectual Property Resources:  

    IP Firms - United States - Texas - Meyertons, Hood, Kivlin, Kowert & Goetzel, P.C.
    "Meyertons, Hood, Kivlin, Kowert & Goetzel, P.C. was formed in Austin, Texas on January 1, 2003, following the reorganization of Conley, Rose & Tayon. The founding shareholders have a diverse prosecution and litigation practice, and the firm has over 55 employees, including 32 professionals (i.e., attorneys, patent agents and technical advisors) focusing exclusively on intellectual property matters."

    IP Firms - Czech Republic - Danek & Partners
    "Danek & PARTNERS is a Central Europe IP law firm with extensive experience in all aspects of litigation, including Patent
    Law, Trade Mark Law, Design Law, Business Law, Contract Law and Internet Law. Personal attention is given to every client. Direct representation before the Intellectual Property Office, the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Community Trademark Office (OHIM) is available for clients and professional associates. Our company seamlessly integrates business, science, and law to help our clients protect their intellectual property, extract maximum value from their IP assets, and reduce the risk of infringing the rights of others. The abilities of the firm's partners and staff enable us to offer the full spectrum of advice on practically every aspect in the field of intellectual property."

    IP Firms - United Kingdom - Crossgaurd
    "Trade Mark & Copyright Attorneys specialising in trade mark & brand creation, protection and licensing, character & personality rights, merchandising, brand extension, domain name disputes, and related copyright and designs, with a fixed fee service for routine registration matters. We have gained clients in three continents."

    Posted by Matthew Downing.

Wednesday, 11 June 2003

  • Delphion - PDF Enhancement
    Delphion has announced a great new enhancement to their PDF Express feature which allow easy bulk downloading of patent specifications. "PDF Express now lets you download up to 500 patents at one time. And because it leverages streaming technology, it now runs 50% faster than before. It also uses HTTP protocol instead of FTP, so the firewall issues that some customers faced with the old version have been eliminated".

    Registered users at all subscription levels, including the free Basic level, can use PDF Express. For more information visit Delphion here.
    `
    | Delphion Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Tuesday, 10 June 2003

  • WIPO - Conference on the Importance of Statistics on Patenting Trends Analysis and Projections
    A free WIPO Conference (in English, French & Spanish) on the Importance of Statistics on Patenting Trends Analysis and Projections will be held in Geneva on 17 September 2003. "The Conference will examine the role of statistical information in the analysis of trends in patenting activity worldwide. Particular attention will be given to the needs of policy makers, patent offices, industry and professional advisers for accurate statistical data and appropriate statistical tools for determining economic, technological and business trends. Listening to the concerns of participants from all walks of economic life, WIPO will take the opportunity of this Conference to understand better their needs for statistics and so be in a better position to meet those needs".

    For more information click here.

    | WIPO Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • US - Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications - San Francisco, California, 9-11 July 2003
    The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is hosting a three-day Worldwide Symposium on Geographical Indications. The symposium will take place in San Francisco from 9 to 11 July 2003.

    "This Symposium will provide a forum for the exchange of information and views on geographical indications at the national, regional and international levels and on future trends in that area. Participation is open to government representatives as well as to any interested party. Presentations will be made by experts in the field of protection of geographical indications representing international organizations, non-governmental organizations, producers and administrations from WIPO Member States from around the world. Each presentation will be followed by a discussion during which the speakers will answer questions from the audience. Simultaneous interpretation from and into English, French and Spanish will be provided".

    A provisional agenda is available here and registration is available from WIPO here.

    | USPTO Website | WIPO Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • Derwent - Optimise your Patent Research - Free Seminar
    Derwent will by holding a free breakfast seminer in London entitled "Optimise you Patent Research: research tools for effective patent portfolio management" on Wednesday 2nd July 2003 at One Aldwych, London.

    "Following a keynote presentation by Breda Corish, our Director of Intellectual Property Services, we invite you to meet our patent information experts, discuss your portfolio management issues, and discover our patent research tools at your leisure:

    - View demonstrations of our patent information databases
    - Sample powerful new patent alerting and document delivery services
    - Explore new tools for patent information analysis
    - Stay current with the latest IP law developments

    Who should attend?
    - Patent professionals who choose and use patent research tools, including:
    - Patent Agents/Patent Attorneys
    - Paralegals
    - Legal Librarians
    - Technical Assistants
    - Legal assistants
    I- nformation Managers/Specialists
    All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of "Patenting Trends in the Fastest Moving Technologies", a snapshot of patenting activity in the areas of Life Sciences, Software & Nanotechnology.

    To apply for a free place now, visit the Derwent website here.

    | Derwent Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Thursday, 05 June 2003

  • IP Australia
    IP Australia has made quite a mess of the "New Patent Solutions" (NPS) database, so much so that searching Australian patent information has now become a nightmare fraught with dangers, errors and omissions! The system in place prior to NPS, the Patent Administration system, whilst being a bit antiquated contained accurate information and searching it was a reliable affair.  Not so with NPS!!. We are continually promised that the NPS system will be fixed although it seems that the only information we do receive from IP Australia these days is the announcement of another problem with the system! At least they are getting something right with their Tertiary Resources material on their IP Professor website. The site is aimed at educators and provides some excellent material for those starting out their career in IP. Mind you...if the extra resources IP Australia directed towards this project were actually directed back at NPS...who knows.....we may have a system that works!

    | IP Australia Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • MicroPatent's PatentWeb and Aureka Enhancements
    Aureka

    MicroPatent have announced that they have integrated MicroPatent's full text data into Aureka with the launch of Aureka 9.0. Aureka subscribers can now search the content in MicroPatent's PatSearch FullText collection including US, DE, EP, GB, JP, and WO records. The release of Aureka 9.0 also allows for the creation of theme maps on both patent and non-patent documents. For more information on these and other enhancements to Aureka, visit the MicroPatent website here

    PatentWeb
    PatentWeb subscribers can now download documents in XML format, as well as can export legal status data to third-party applications or proprietary programs.
    - The XML downloads let you take tagged data files from the PatSearch FullText authorities/countries we cover and import it into XML-compliant tools and databases, such as ClearForest, for further review and analysis.

    - The legal status exports expedite your analysis of legal status information given the easy way you can now incorporate this information in programs you run.

    | MicroPatent Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • IP Menu Website Problems Fixed
    As some of you may have noticed this week we have been having some problems with parts of our website. I am pleased to say that we have managed to correct the vast majority of problems that occurred and the site appears to be functioning normally again. I have lots of IP news to catch up with so keep posted!

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Tuesday, 03 June 2003

  • IP MENU Update
    IP MENU has updated the following Intellectual Property Resources:  

    IP Firms - The Netherlands - WilliamsonMcGee Intellectual Property
    "WilliamsonMcGee Intellectual Property is a small-scale patent law firm situated in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. With substantial legal expertise in European and United States patent law, the firm assists corporate clients in areas such as drafting and prosecution of patent applications, assessment of competitor patent portfolios, infringement analyses, and offensive and defensive litigation. Technical areas of expertise predominantly cover the physical and mechanical sciences, with particular experience in semiconductor technology, ultra-high-precision mechanics, advanced optics, and materials science."

    Posted by Matthew Downing.

Friday, 30 May 2003

  • PatentCafe Launches Global Patent Search™
    PatentCafe has just launcehd their new Global Patent Search™. This is the first product in their new Web-enabled, enterprise-wide Intellectual Capital Office™ (“ICO”) solution suite.  The enhancements provided by the Global Patent Search™ include:

    • Searching the FULL TEXT of the CLAIMS by clicking on the "More Like This” link for every patent.
    • Precision Boolean "Search Within Results" function to quickly narrow search results.
    • Accurate US & PCT full text and bibliographic PDF images patent database structured to meet the highly stringent, WIPO ST.32 standards.

    "Global Patent Search™ helps enterprises eliminate the persistent and costly gap in the documentation needed to accurately identify relevant, key patents before investing time and money in R&D, patent litigation, patent prosecution and competitive intelligence. Now decision makers can take action empowered with greater accuracy in searching and comprehensive knowledge retrieval when conducting patent “due-diligence” supporting licensing and litigation analyses, M&A negotiations and other strategic, business decisions in results-driven development environments".

    “Users are no longer required to cull through thousands of documents in their entirety. Rather, the precise claim language or relevant inventive concept can be identified and documents directly on-point retrieved by first conducting a Global Patent Search™ and then employing our unique color-coded thesaurus and relevant Boolean search terms highlighted in the full text patent,” explained Lata Setty, Patent Attorney and PatentCafe's VP of Business Development.

    "The patent pending ICO-IPAM™ 3.0, also part of the ICO suite, consists of Web-based and desktop components that provide users with centralized access to both internal and external intelligence. Its desktop component delivers the unique functionality of allowing users to record time and expense, research notes and annotations and all patent search queries and resulting patent sets, and enables sharing of this information across the enterprise. IPAM™ 3.0 represents another industry first - full integration with our Global Patent Search™ populating a robust patent document manager that allows multiple search result sets to be named for each project or client, downloaded in bulk, "zipped" and e-mailed to an associate, or extracted and exported as XML or CSV data. It's fully network-ready to be employed within enterprise environments".

    "The Web-based portion serves as a portal to ICO’s rich patent content which will ultimately contain more than 30 million patents from over 90 issuing authorities, making it the world’s largest collection of searchable, full-text patent information, providing broader data coverage, more comprehensive results and cross-discipline searching capabilities to enhance stimulation and the creation of intellectual assets".


    PatentCafe have developed a solid product that many users will find benefits in.  PatentCafe also have some very competitive pricing for everyone from a casual/occasional user to the corporate environment. To find out more and take a tour of the service, visit the PatentCafe website.

    | PatentCafe Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Thursday, 29 May 2003

  • PatenTrust
    Peter Childs from PatenTrust has contacted me to tell me about a new search service.

    "PatenTrust uses a proprietary natural language search engine to offer a cost effective online patent search & report service. Our search reports allow companies to compare complex descriptions of their innovations with issued US patents. Companies can use this information to identify patent-able ideas, compatible technologies for license or partnership and to understand the patent landscape during development, to avoid inadvertent infringement. I've attached a brochure outlining the service and our reports".

    PatenTrust also has a interesting Patent "Search Cost Formala Tool" which gives you an indication of the time and cost it takes to do a search of US patents.

    To find out more, visit PatenTrust here.

    | PatenTrust Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • WIPO - Temporary Closure
    An important notice from WIPO:

    In anticipation of possible disruptions coinciding with the G8 Summit to be held in Evian, France, from June 1 to 3, 2003, inclusive, the offices of WIPO will be closed from Friday, May 30, to Tuesday, June 3, 2003, inclusive. Thursday, May 29, 2003 is already an official holiday at WIPO.

    | WIPO Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • IP Manuals
    A new service I have discovered is IP Manuals. This service provides
    - Online Intellectual Property Manuals
    - International Legal Frames
    - Trademark Class Search Engine
    - Intellectual Property Discussion Forums
    - Global IP Agencies List

    IP Manuals is offering a 30 day free trial.

    | IP Manuals Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Wednesday, 28 May 2003

  • WIPO - Director General Re-appointed
    Dr. Kamil Idris, a national of Sudan, was formally re-appointed to a second term as Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Tuesday May 27, 2003. Dr. Idris received unanimous support during an extraordinary session of the Organization’s General Assembly on May 26 and 27, 2003. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Idris pledged to build on the achievements of the past and to ensure that intellectual property gains its rightful place on the agenda of policy-makers at the highest level and is recognized as a powerful tool for economic, social and cultural development.

    | WIPO Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • IP MENU Update
    IP MENU has updated the following Intellectual Property Resources:  

    IP Firms - Malta - Dr M.Chetcuti Cauchi, IP Lawyer
    "IP lawyer based in Malta, providing trademark and patent registration services, Intellectual Property legal consultancy."

    IP Firms - Malta - EuroMalta Intellectual Property
    "Registration of Maltese & European Trade Marks, Service Marks & Patents; Domain Name Registration & Dispute Resolution; IP Consultancy & Litigation."

    Posted by Matthew Downing.

Monday, 26 May 2003

  • Derwent - Patent Analytics
    Derwent is running Web Ex training on "Techniques for Analyzing Patents, using Derwent Analytics Powered by Vantage Point" on 18 June 2003 at 2.00pm US-EST.

    "Derwent Analytics is a new data mining and visualization software product for the desktop. This training will cover the basic analytical techniques for using Derwent Analytics with Derwent World Patents Index data to:

    Analyze Trends
    Profile specific patenting activity
    Forecast growth opportunities
    Discover knowledge

    If you are interested in this area and would like to going the online training, visit the Derwent website here and register your interest.

    | Thomson Derwent Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Friday, 23 May 2003

  • Derwent - Product Update
    Derwent has just released their "spring" update which covers recent and planned developments in their products and services.

    "This Spring edition provides details of new and improved products, many of which have been developed in close partnership with customer groups. As in previous editions you will find a comprehensive update from each of the business units along with plans for the remained of 2003".

    You can download a copy of this publication free of charge from the Derwent website.

    | Thomson Derwent Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Thursday, 22 May 2003

  • Japan - Intellectual Property Statistics for 2002
    The Japanese Patent Office (JPO) has just published their basic IP statistics for 2002. Applications for Patents, Utility Models, Designs and Trademarks were all down from the previous year.

    Applications:

     
    1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
    Patents
    (Ratio to the previous year)
    366,486
     
    353,301
    96.4%
    369,215
    104.5%
    376,615
    102.0%
    391,572
    104.0%
    401,932
    102.6%
    405,655
    100.9%
    436,865
    107.7%
    439,175
    100.5%
    421,044
    95.9%
    Utility Models
    (Ratio to the previous year)
    77,101
     
    17,531
    22.7%
    14,886
    84.9%
    14,082
    94.6%
    12,048
    85.6%
    10,917
    90.6%
    10,283
    94.2%
    9,587
    93.2%
    8,806
    91.9%
    8,603
    97.7%
    Designs
    (Ratio to the previous year)
    40,759
     
    40,534
    99.4%
    40,067
    98.8%
    40,192
    100.3%
    39,865
    99.2%
    39,352
    98.7%
    37,368
    95.0%
    38,496
    103.0%
    39,423
    102.4%
    37,230
    94.4%
    Trademarks
    (Ratio to the previous year)
    174,585
     
    172,859
    99.0%
    179,689
    104.0%
    188,160
    104.7%
    133,116
    70.7%
    112,469
    84.5%
    121,861
    108.4%
    145,668
    119.5%
    123,754
    85.0%
    117,406
    94.9%

    Registrations:


     
    1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
    Patents
    (Ratio to the previous year)
    88,400
     
    82,400
    93.2%
    109,100
    132.4%
    215,100
    197.2%
    147,686
    68.7%
    141,448
    95.8%
    150,059
    106.1%
    125,880
    83.9%
    121,742
    96.7%
    120,018
    98.6%
    Utility Models under Old Law
    (Ratio to the previous year)
    53,400
     
    45,100
    84.5%
    50,200
    111.3%
    82,500
    164.3%
    38,752
    47.0%
    25,107
    64.8%
    12,027
    47.9%
    3,575
    29.7%
    679
    19.0%
    142
    20.9%
    Utility Models under New Law
    (Ratio to the previous year)
    - 8,785
     
    13,766
    156.7%
    12,981
    94.3%
    11,356
    87.5%
    10,406
    91.6%
    9,959
    95.7%
    9,038
    90.8%
    8,762
    96.9%
    7,651
    87.3%
    Designs
    (Ratio to the previous year)
    38,708
     
    34,948
    90.3%
    34,887
    99.8%
    35,495
    101.7%
    37,418
    105.4%
    36,264
    96.9%
    41,355
    114.0%
    40,037
    96.8%
    32,934
    82.3%
    31,503
    95.7%
    Trademarks
    (Ratio to the previous year)
    166,697
     
    147,191
    88.3%
    144,911
    98.5%
    178,251
    123.0%
    253,272
    142.1%
    132,066
    52.1%
    123,656
    93.6%
    94,493
    76.4%
    93,548
    99.0%
    105,114
    112.4%


    | JPO Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

  • Australia - Law via the Internet 2003
    One of my favourite websites is Austlii. It is a powerhouse of free legal data on the Internet and since it's inception has been recreated in other forms around the world - Bailii, Canlii, Paclii, Worldlii and Hklii. Austlii are holding their 5th Conference on Computerisation of Law via the Internet at the
    University of Technology, Sydney, Australia, from 26-28 November 2003.

    "The Australasian Legal Information Institute, one of the largest free access law sites on the web, will host the fifth Law via the Internet conference on 26-28 November 2003. The Conference venue is in the centre of Sydney's restaurant and entertainment districts and Harbourside attractions. Previous Law via the Internet Conferences have been hosted by AustLII in Sydney (1997, 1999 and 2001), and by CanLII/LEXUM in Montreal (2002)".

    "Law via the Internet 2003 will present both submitted and invited papers. The conference proper will take place on 27-28 November, Tutorials on legal research on the web will be offered on 26 November".

    Austlii will advise registration details shortly. Proceeds from the Conference will support AustLII's provision of free access to law via the net.

    | Austlii Website |

    Posted Rodney Cruis
    e.

Wednesday, 21 May 2003

  • WIPO - 5,000 Cybersquatting Cases Under UDRP
    Cybersquatting is still alive and well if figures from WIPO are any indication.

    "The Geneva-based Mediation and Arbitration Center of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) received its 5,000th domain name case under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) this month as English football club Tottenham Hotspur kicked off proceedings to win back its Internet identity from an alleged cybersquatter. In addition to the 5,000 cases received under the UDRP, the Center has handled over 15,500 cybersquatting cases under specific dispute resolution policies, bringing the total number of cybersquatting cases filed with WIPO to 20,511. Coincidentally, the first domain name case received by WIPO in December 1999 was filed and won by the World Wrestling Federation, another sporting entity. Scores of sports-related cases have been filed and resolved under the UDRP".

    | WIPO Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Tuesday, 20 May 2003

  • Europe - Computer Implemented Inventions Report
    The European Parliament has released a report from their "Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market" on 13 May 2003 (PE 327.249/1-3). The report covers the "compromise amendments 1-3" on the patentability of computer implemented inventions.

    To find out more and read the report, visit the European Parliament website here.

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • US - Claims Reassignment Records Updated
    IFI Cliams Patent Services have announced a recent update to US Reassignment records on the Claims Legal Status databases. CLAIMS Legal Status through Dialog File 123, Questel-Orbit file CRXX, and STN file IFICLS. The database has been updated and is now current with data available from the USPTO through April 14, 2003. This update affects over 10,000 US patent records in the CLAIMS database.

    | IFI Claims Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

Monday, 19 May 2003

  • STNews Now Available - May Edition
    The December "Year in Review" 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 - Tools and tips for Information Professionals
    Help Worldwide - STN--Count on us for the best Help Desk support
    Database News - Database News Articles
    Ask REGgie - Finding experimental property data for CAplus documents
    Search Tip - Using SDI PACKAGE, a new alert results delivery option
    STN Expressway - Optimizing your use of custom post-processing tools–Part 1

    To find out more, or to subscribe, visit the STN website.

    | STN Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • Canada - Order Trade Mark Documents On-line
    The CIPO has just announced the ability to order trade mark documents on-line. Such documents include certified copies, complete file history and registration pages. Order are generally processed within 2 to 5 working days. To find out more and access the "Trade-mark Document Order Form", click here.

    | CIPO Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • Australia - IP Seminars for the Mining Sector
    IP Australia has announced a series of IP seminars specifically focused on the Mining Sector.

    "The Mining Sector and related industries are ones that generate large amounts of intellectual property (IP). For this reason it's important for those involved in the mining industry to understand the important role IP plays in the innovation cycle".

    IP Australia will be running seminars presented by local IP experts that will cover how to identify IP, how to protect it and how to exploit it.

    Locations:
    Perth 28th of May at 9am at the Parmelia Hilton
    Brisbane 30th of May at 9am at the Carlton Crest Hotel.

    Further information is available in an IP Australia brochure (click here).

    | IP Australia Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • IP MENU Update
    IP MENU has updated the following Intellectual Property Resources:  

    26 May 2003 - Managing Your Intellectual Property In China - Perth, Australia (AusTrade)
    28 May 2003 - Managing Your Intellectual Property In China - Melbourne, Australia (AusTrade)
    28 May 2003 - Understanding The Community Design Law - (Irish Patents Office and OHIM)
    29 May 2003 - Managing Your Intellectual Property In China - Sydney, Australia (AusTrade)
    30 May 2003 - Managing Your Intellectual Property In China - Brisbane, Australia (AusTrade)
    7 - 10 July 2003 - EPO Patent Information Beginners Seminar - Vienna, Austria (EPO)
    1 - 5 September 2003 - EPO Workshop for Industry - The Hague, NE (EPO)
    26 September 2003 - Trade Marks In The Future - Melbourne, Australia (IPRIA)
    23 - 24 October 2003 - EPIDOS User's Meeting on Japanese Patent Information - Vienna, Austra (EPO/EPIDOS)
    2 - 4 December 2003 - ONLINE Database and Information - London, Great Britain
    7 - 10 March 2004 - International Patent Information Conference and Exposition - Lisbon, Portugal (IPI-ConfEx)

    Posted by Kristine Baird.
  • IP MENU Update
    IP MENU has updated the following Intellectual Property Resources:  

    IP Firms - Indonesia - Aamhas
    "Intellectual Property Consultant (Patent, Trademark, Design, Copyright)"

    IP Firms - Mexico - Ogarrio Daguerre, S.C.
    "Ogarrio Daguerre is a Mexico City-based Firm, established in 1974, offering strategic and on-going consulting services in law. The Firm conducts a national and international general legal practice and provides legal advice and services in some areas of Mexican law and in cross-border transactions. Ogarrio Daguerre is firmly committed to the excellence of our professional service and the soundness of our legal work. Our mission is to preserve the quality of our services and provide personalized client attention. To do this, we require highly demanding training of our attorneys."

    IP Firms - Costa Rica - Alfredo Fournier & Asociados
    "The Fournier Patentes y Marcas group was created on 1997 to fill a need for a dedicated Intellectual Property division at Alfredo Fournier & Asociados. This group will clear all questions relating to copyright, trademark and Patent use, registration; conflict resolution and Internet related issues."

    IP Firms - Japan - Ryuka International Patent Law Firm
    "Our business approach is established on creating working relationships where the free flow of information results in a common vision."

    Posted by Matthew Downing.

Friday, 16 May 2003

  • GetIPDL - New Version 2.5.10 Now Available
    getipdl-1.jpg (12607 bytes)GetIPDL have released another update to their Patent Downloading software.   Version 2.x is a Shareware program, however there is a freeware versions with certain limitations.    These limiations are removed when you register the product.  The cost is US$89.00 to get the registered version. It should be noted that the tracking or statistic feature which concerned many users is now removed in the licenced version. 


    To find out more, please visit the GetIPDL website here.

    | Get IPDL Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.

     

Wednesday, 14 May 2003

  • Derwent Innovations Index - Tools of the Trade User Manual
    Do you use the "Derwent Innovations Index" or are considering becoming a subscriber? Well if so, you should grab a copy of "Derwent Innovations Index - Tools of the Trade User Manual" (Edition: April 2003) which is a user manual for the Derwent Innovation Index. The manual is available free of charge here.

    "Derwent Innovations Index is the world's most comprehensive database of international patent information, merging the Derwent World Patents Index with the Derwent Patents Citation Index. Over 11 million basic inventions and 20 million patents are covered in Derwent Innovations Index accessible through an intuitive web based interface. This unique database gives users a comprehensive overview of inventions in the global marketplace. This user guide will help you search this database quickly and effectively. Topics covered include quick and expert searching (chemical and non-chemical), viewing and displaying patent and citation results, prior art searching, and setting up email alerts. Additional reference material includes: complete country coverage and kind code descriptions, Derwent Abbreviations, Glossary of Patent Terms".

    | Derwent Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • Europe - The Extended European Search Report
    As of 1 July 2003 the EPO will commence a pilot project for EP first filings (ie applications claiming no priority), which will involve issuing to the applicant, together with the search report, an opinion on whether the application and the invention to which it relates meet the requirements of the EPC (Extended European Search Report, EESR).

    This opinion will consist either of the text of the first examination communication where all the objections to patentability are addressed or of a positive statement which would allow the application to proceed to grant.

    The non-binding opinion on patentability will be issued free of charge as a service. No time limit will be set for reply, nor does it affect the period for requesting examination, ie for paying the examination fee under Article 94(2) EPC. The opinion issued along with the search report may, however, be used by the applicant as the basis for an informed decision as to whether he wants to pursue the application further or not.

    To find out more on the background and procedure of the new "extended" search report, read the full press release from the EPO here.

    | EPO Website |

    Posted by Rodney Cruise.
  • IP MENU Update
    IP MENU has updated the following Intellectual Property Resources:  

    IP Firms - Germany - Christoph Lösch Patentkanzlei
    "Intellectual property law firm for all aspects of European and German intellectual property aspects concerning patents, trademarks and designs"

    IP Firms - Democratic Republic of Congo - Amiels & Partners
    "Amiels & Partners has founded its practice on providing a broad spectrum of comprehensive intellectual property services for its domestic and international clients in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Africa. Our attorneys have an experience in working closely with international clients to anticipate their intellectual property needs, challenges, and risks in a competitive global market. We place high priority on maintaining a personal client-focused perspective while keeping an on-going commitment to efficiency and innovation."

    IP Firms - Russia - Intellect
    "We render the following services in the field of IP protection: Inventions, Utility models, Trademarks, Industrial designs, Copyright, Computer programs and databases, Court hearing, License agreement, IP evaluation."

    Posted by Matthew Downing.

Monday, 12 May 2003

  • Thomson Derwent - IP Matters
    Thomson Derwent have published new articles as part of their "IP Matters" service. Subscribing to this news service is free and worthwhile if you have an interest in intellectual property issues. The latest articles include:
    * Patent metadata: now you see them, now you don't
    * Domain name management strategy
    * Storage Media