DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES: OPENING DOORS TO PATENT INFORMATION
In the past, searching patent information was akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack- timeconsuming, impractical and costly. Improved interoperability of computer platforms and ease of uploading and transmitting digitized information over the Internet, however, are improving information flows, including in the area of patents. These developments plus the sophisticated and powerful database tools and search engines available today make it much easier for researchers, inventors and entrepreneurs to mine the technological information contained in patent documents. This information is a valuable source of business and market intelligence and is being used increasingly to inform and educate stakeholders across organizations and beyond national borders. For example, it provides the raw material for the generation of technology " landscapes " that map the relative density of research in specific areas of technology, offering useful insights that can influence research and investment decisions. In sum, digital technologies have made it possible to tap into the world ' s accumulated store of patent documents and the wealth of scientific and technological information they contain.
CATALYZING IP CREATION set up its Innovation & Technology Support Offices( ITSO) Project. The project was launched in 2010, in tandem with WIPO ' s TISC initiative to establish Technology Innovation Service Centers( TISCs) in IP offices of member states to support the wider and more active use of patent information by a broader range of interested communities.
The aim was to embed patent information service centers in universities across the country to catalyze the creation of IP by pushing the scientific and technological information found in patent databases to local industries and by helping researchers to use patent information in their work. Universities and colleges are logical homes for ITSOs because they offer a deep pool of knowledgeable professionals and are located throughout the country.
Under the project, each ITSO provides affordable patent information services on demand to the local business community and helps to foster universityindustry collaborations in support of innovation. In some instances, ITSOs also offer short courses on IP for faculty members and assist in designing IP course material for university programs. In the absence of a technology transfer office within a university they can also offer support in patent drafting, patent prosecution and the commercialization of technology.
Recognizing the multiple benefits deriving from accessing and searching patent information, IPOPHL,
Welded to a mentality of " publish or perish ", many failed to even consider securing a patent on their research before publishing it.
Photo © UST-ITSO
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