- Email: [email protected]
News on patent, trademark and design databases on the Internet
World Patent Information 32 (2010) 73–74
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
World Patent Information journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/worpatin
News on patent, trademark and design databases on the Internet The Auspat Australian patent database at http://www.ipaustralia. gov.au/auspat/index.htm has been enhanced with additional functionality to search and directly link to official journal entries. For details see the release notes at http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/ auspat/auspat_releasenotes_r1.3_v2.pdf. The IPR2 project for collaboration between the EU and China has launched a new free China IP Law Search web site at http:// www.ipr2.org/ipsearch/. This allows bibliographic and full-text English-language searching of Chinese law on intellectual property and unfair competition. It also covers relevant civil and criminal procedure. Esp@cenet has added bibliographic details of patents from several South and Central American countries to the main database, including materials from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Chile, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador and Peru. For details of coverage, see http://www. epo.org/patents/updates/2009/20090806.html and pages linked from it. Additionally, English language abstracts are now being added to entries for Chinese utility models. The Finnish national trade mark database at http://tavaramerkki. prh.fi/default_en.pl now allows searching by international registration number, as well as national filing and registration number, mark text and applicant. South Korea has revamped its trade mark and design databases on the KIPRIS website at http://eng.kipris.or.kr/eng/main/ main_eng.jsp. The trade mark search offers a general search by mark text, applicant or number, and an advanced search offering searching by a wide range of fields, including dates (individual or by range), priority details, applicant, agent, Vienna classification, and goods or services by text description or Nice classification. All keyword searches feature the option of automatic translation from English to Korean, including mark text, applicant name, or goods and services. It is also possible to filter by status as an application or registered mark. Mark texts, applicant names and goods lists may only be available in Korean, without Romanisation. The design search offers a general search by title or applicant keyword, or number, and an advanced search by various dates and number types, title, inventor, applicant, or agent. Again English–Korean search translation is available but detailed information on individual designs may only be available in Korean. Claimed coverage is for trade marks filed since 1950 and designs registered since 1948. The Mexican Institute for Intellectual Property has made its official trade mark web database, MARCANET at http://marcanet. impi.gob.mx/marcanet/controler/home, free to access after a period of charging for all but number searching. Separate sidebar links allow searching by "expediente" (filing number), "registro" (grant number) or mark text with phonetic equivalence. This makes it one of very few free databases to offer a phonetic search. Detailed
doi:10.1016/j.wpi.2009.09.007
status information is included, and pdf copies of original application documents. The New Zealand trade mark database at http://www.iponz. govt.nz/cms/banner_template/IPTM now has an interesting image search based on an expansion of the Vienna classification covering images of New Zealand specific phenomena, including animals, plants, mountains, flags and Maori artwork and cultural objects. To perform the search, it is necessary to look up the classification number by clicking on "Build" next to the Document Text search box and then "NZ specific" in the resulting pop-up window. Then type the class code in the Document Text box and DADD in the Document Type box. The South African Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office now has a patent search database at http://patentsearch. cipro.gov.za. For some years this has been one of the most difficult offices from which to obtain documents. The database offers a simple search covering merely title keyword and inventor and an advanced search offering numbers, dates, title, IPC classification, applicant, inventor, and agent. It also allows one to search specifically for patents by status, which is very unusual in a free online database. Bibliographic details and status are available. The system is set up to offer full specifications, but I have been unable to find any records which currently have them attached. The database claims to cover the period 1984–2005, but records are visible with application dates as far back as 1976 and as recent as June 2009. The ever-innovative Spanish Patent and Trade Mark Office archives have developed a geographical search engine for pre-1939 patents and pre-1905 trade marks, available at http:// historico.oepm.es/archivohistoricow3c/index.asp?idm=&page= geoposicionamiento_sigpi. The first of two patent searches allows the user to display the locations of all applicants for Spanish patents within a particular IPC class or subclass within a given time period on a map of Spain or any other country represented. A second, for Spain only, allows the user to display all patent applicants within a given distance of a specific location. The trade mark search makes it possible to display the locations of all applicants for a given Nice class within a certain time period. It is unclear how changes of names of streets or towns between the patent application data and the modern maps have been dealt with. TTAB Across the Board, at http://ttabacrosstheboard.com/, is an unofficial site allowing searches of case status and documents filed at the USA Trademarks Trials and Appeals Board. Access is free, but free registration is required for RSS or email updates to specific cases. "Search cases" searches the cases for the term given, which might be a mark, party, lawyer or type of action, while "Search Documents" searches the full document texts. There are direct links to pdf copies and status pages on the USPTO website. Clicking on the small (i) next to each piece of data in results searches automatically for all entries featuring that element. Unfortunately the
74
News on patent, trademark and design databases on the Internet / World Patent Information 32 (2010) 73–74
layout styles and dynamic features of the site may cause problems for some browsers. An interesting new experimental patent search engine for the USA is Xyggy Patent, at http://www.xyggy.com/patent.php, which claims to use Bayesian approaches to find documents which are similar to an initial known patent. The search method is not immediately user transparent: first type a patent number without the country code, or a title keyword, in the upper search box. This causes a list of relevant documents to appear in the lower search box. Then click on the document you wish to use as your search document. The number and title of this then appear in the upper search box, and a few seconds later the search results appear in the lower box. Hovering the cursor over one of these causes the bibliographic details to appear, and clicking on it opens the USPTO web database record for that document to open in a new window. A few test searches revealed that quite relevant documents were retrieved. At present content is restricted to the usual range of those granted US documents for which searchable full text is available on the USPTO website.
The WIPO Patentscope database at http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/ en/ has extended the range of documents for which it is possible to search in full-text. Full-text searching is now possible for applications filed in Japan in English and in Korea in either Korean or English. The availability covers documents published since 2nd July 2009. National phase entry dates and numbers are now also available for Vietnam and Singapore. The WIPO Gazette of International Marks has also been made available free online for the first time at http://www.wipo.int/madridgazette/en/, in searchable or browsable web format since 5th February 2009 and as downloadable pdf files since 1997. Philip Eagle The British Library Business and Intellectual Property Centre 96 Euston Road London NW1 2DB, UK E-mail address: [email protected]
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
World Patent Information journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/worpatin
News on patent, trademark and design databases on the Internet The Auspat Australian patent database at http://www.ipaustralia. gov.au/auspat/index.htm has been enhanced with additional functionality to search and directly link to official journal entries. For details see the release notes at http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/ auspat/auspat_releasenotes_r1.3_v2.pdf. The IPR2 project for collaboration between the EU and China has launched a new free China IP Law Search web site at http:// www.ipr2.org/ipsearch/. This allows bibliographic and full-text English-language searching of Chinese law on intellectual property and unfair competition. It also covers relevant civil and criminal procedure. Esp@cenet has added bibliographic details of patents from several South and Central American countries to the main database, including materials from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Chile, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador and Peru. For details of coverage, see http://www. epo.org/patents/updates/2009/20090806.html and pages linked from it. Additionally, English language abstracts are now being added to entries for Chinese utility models. The Finnish national trade mark database at http://tavaramerkki. prh.fi/default_en.pl now allows searching by international registration number, as well as national filing and registration number, mark text and applicant. South Korea has revamped its trade mark and design databases on the KIPRIS website at http://eng.kipris.or.kr/eng/main/ main_eng.jsp. The trade mark search offers a general search by mark text, applicant or number, and an advanced search offering searching by a wide range of fields, including dates (individual or by range), priority details, applicant, agent, Vienna classification, and goods or services by text description or Nice classification. All keyword searches feature the option of automatic translation from English to Korean, including mark text, applicant name, or goods and services. It is also possible to filter by status as an application or registered mark. Mark texts, applicant names and goods lists may only be available in Korean, without Romanisation. The design search offers a general search by title or applicant keyword, or number, and an advanced search by various dates and number types, title, inventor, applicant, or agent. Again English–Korean search translation is available but detailed information on individual designs may only be available in Korean. Claimed coverage is for trade marks filed since 1950 and designs registered since 1948. The Mexican Institute for Intellectual Property has made its official trade mark web database, MARCANET at http://marcanet. impi.gob.mx/marcanet/controler/home, free to access after a period of charging for all but number searching. Separate sidebar links allow searching by "expediente" (filing number), "registro" (grant number) or mark text with phonetic equivalence. This makes it one of very few free databases to offer a phonetic search. Detailed
doi:10.1016/j.wpi.2009.09.007
status information is included, and pdf copies of original application documents. The New Zealand trade mark database at http://www.iponz. govt.nz/cms/banner_template/IPTM now has an interesting image search based on an expansion of the Vienna classification covering images of New Zealand specific phenomena, including animals, plants, mountains, flags and Maori artwork and cultural objects. To perform the search, it is necessary to look up the classification number by clicking on "Build" next to the Document Text search box and then "NZ specific" in the resulting pop-up window. Then type the class code in the Document Text box and DADD in the Document Type box. The South African Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office now has a patent search database at http://patentsearch. cipro.gov.za. For some years this has been one of the most difficult offices from which to obtain documents. The database offers a simple search covering merely title keyword and inventor and an advanced search offering numbers, dates, title, IPC classification, applicant, inventor, and agent. It also allows one to search specifically for patents by status, which is very unusual in a free online database. Bibliographic details and status are available. The system is set up to offer full specifications, but I have been unable to find any records which currently have them attached. The database claims to cover the period 1984–2005, but records are visible with application dates as far back as 1976 and as recent as June 2009. The ever-innovative Spanish Patent and Trade Mark Office archives have developed a geographical search engine for pre-1939 patents and pre-1905 trade marks, available at http:// historico.oepm.es/archivohistoricow3c/index.asp?idm=&page= geoposicionamiento_sigpi. The first of two patent searches allows the user to display the locations of all applicants for Spanish patents within a particular IPC class or subclass within a given time period on a map of Spain or any other country represented. A second, for Spain only, allows the user to display all patent applicants within a given distance of a specific location. The trade mark search makes it possible to display the locations of all applicants for a given Nice class within a certain time period. It is unclear how changes of names of streets or towns between the patent application data and the modern maps have been dealt with. TTAB Across the Board, at http://ttabacrosstheboard.com/, is an unofficial site allowing searches of case status and documents filed at the USA Trademarks Trials and Appeals Board. Access is free, but free registration is required for RSS or email updates to specific cases. "Search cases" searches the cases for the term given, which might be a mark, party, lawyer or type of action, while "Search Documents" searches the full document texts. There are direct links to pdf copies and status pages on the USPTO website. Clicking on the small (i) next to each piece of data in results searches automatically for all entries featuring that element. Unfortunately the
74
News on patent, trademark and design databases on the Internet / World Patent Information 32 (2010) 73–74
layout styles and dynamic features of the site may cause problems for some browsers. An interesting new experimental patent search engine for the USA is Xyggy Patent, at http://www.xyggy.com/patent.php, which claims to use Bayesian approaches to find documents which are similar to an initial known patent. The search method is not immediately user transparent: first type a patent number without the country code, or a title keyword, in the upper search box. This causes a list of relevant documents to appear in the lower search box. Then click on the document you wish to use as your search document. The number and title of this then appear in the upper search box, and a few seconds later the search results appear in the lower box. Hovering the cursor over one of these causes the bibliographic details to appear, and clicking on it opens the USPTO web database record for that document to open in a new window. A few test searches revealed that quite relevant documents were retrieved. At present content is restricted to the usual range of those granted US documents for which searchable full text is available on the USPTO website.
The WIPO Patentscope database at http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/ en/ has extended the range of documents for which it is possible to search in full-text. Full-text searching is now possible for applications filed in Japan in English and in Korea in either Korean or English. The availability covers documents published since 2nd July 2009. National phase entry dates and numbers are now also available for Vietnam and Singapore. The WIPO Gazette of International Marks has also been made available free online for the first time at http://www.wipo.int/madridgazette/en/, in searchable or browsable web format since 5th February 2009 and as downloadable pdf files since 1997. Philip Eagle The British Library Business and Intellectual Property Centre 96 Euston Road London NW1 2DB, UK E-mail address: [email protected]