Patent Information: A New Dynamic for South-East Asia?

Abstract

<smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"> A broad-ranging review of patent information, its value, uses and methods of accessing it, in the context of business in South-East Asia, is presented. It traces how patent information arises in the first place, and how it can be used in, for example, patentability, competitor analysis and infringement clearance searches. The problems of isolating just the potentially relevant patent publications from the many tens of millions already in the public domain are explored. Comparison is made between the ways that this search task has been traditionally performed using paper based technology, and the expanding electronic systems now available. Summaries of the main Internet patent and other industrial property databases are provided, and the easier access to patent copies, as one of the key dissemination vectors, explained. The article concludes with information on the wider issues of the changing IPR scene - legal, political and practical - as well as some thoughts on the increasing opportunities created by these various developments for an ever widening patent information user population. </smarttagtype>