Information Sources in Patents

4th Edition | Stephen Adams |

ISBN: 9783110552263 | 663 pages

Information Sources in Patents can be purchased directly from the publishers (Walter de Gruyter GmbH), at www.degruyter.com/ document/doi/10.1515/9783110552263/html or via several of the Amazon websites, including amazon.com, amazon.co.uk and amazon.de.

The body of patent literature is now vast and continues to grow every year. As an indication, the European Patent Office indicates that the Espacenet database currently includes over 130 million patent documents. These documents are available online to download. The body of patent literature represents one of the largest resources not only for technical information, but also legal and commercial information. The tasks of managing, searching and utilising such a vast and increasing collection of documented information are a major undertaking and are becoming more complex and burdensome as time progresses.

Information Sources in Patents sets out to provide a guide to the resources available for searching in patent documents, in particular the sources of patent information. This information includes not only patent specifications themselves, but also official and some unofficial databases, both electronic and manual, providing bibliographic and legal information.

Part I begins with an overview of patent processes, with an emphasis on aspects of patent documentation, such as languages. This part continues with a review of the major patent systems around the world, before moving on to consider the systems of many other countries. Each patent system is provided with a summary of its history and details of its current laws and practice.

These sections provide not only valuable information regarding the patent documents produced by each system, but also a fascinating lesson in the history of patent systems around the world. For example, as a patent practitioner, it is interesting to note that Chile has one of the oldest established patent law regimes in South America, dating from 1840. It is above all important to note that Part I provides an impressive collection of information regarding patent documentation and highlights the different approaches taken by patent offices around the globe to patent publications.

Part II concerns databases and search techniques, beginning with a detailed review of the various databases existing for patent documents. In the modern age, it is easy to believe that all the documents are available electronically or online at the click of a button. However, Part II makes it clear that this is very much not the case. In many cases, patent documentation is still maintained in paper form. In some countries it is necessary for changes to be made in the relevant law to permit patent offices to maintain electronic-only records. In other cases, unofficial records are maintained. In some instances, unofficial records are kept in addition to official sources, which are available in electronic format online. An example is that the British Library still maintains an unofficial card index of British patent applications, a fact which takes this reviewer back to his time as a trainee patent attorney in London! It is also the case that older patent documents from many jurisdictions have not been digitised and are available only in paper form. In still other instances, we learn that some patent systems still only produce documents in paper form, available from the relevant official source only in the time-honoured way.

There follow several chapters dealing with techniques for patent searching, including a review of the patent classification systems. The common types of searches are discussed and strategies for effective searching are revealed. Finally, the book provides a set of Appendices containing a wide range of valuable information concerning patent documentation generally in tabulated form for ready access.

As acknowledged in the book, patents are regarded in many circles as ‘difficult’ documents to research. As a result, they are sadly overlooked by many, in particular small businesses. Efforts to harmonise patent laws and practice continue around the world, but they generally move slowly. To the extent they succeed, they can generally only affect future patent publications and information. The millions of preexisting patent documents remain the products of an earlier time and the very different patent systems that produced them. As a result, there will remain a need to understand the history of patent documentation going back to the beginnings of the earliest patent systems.

Stephen Adams has undertaken a colossal task to collate a huge amount of information concerning the patent literature, its origins and uses. He is to be congratulated on compiling this information and presenting it in a book that is not only a vital and very useable source of valuable information, but is also a fascinating read for anyone with an interest in patent law and practice. Information Sources in Patents is an essential tool for anyone considering using the patent literature as a source of data and information, be it technical, commercial or legal. This book is highly recommended not only for patent information specialists and others also engaged in patent searching, for whom it surely is an essential resource, but anyone practising in the patent profession or indeed with an interest in any aspects of the patent literature.

Reviewed by Noel J. Akers (Fellow), N.J. Akers & Co.

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