Search and Patent Research
August 11, 2011
We noted an article in PatentPoints.com called “Free USPTO Patent Searches Best Left to Professionals.” The article makes a point that is often ignored by those who believe their ability to search free online Web index equips them to handle more complex types of online queries. The article reflects the viewpoint of professionals trained to handle such commercial services as Lexis and Westlaw. The write up points to a service which we have found to be quite useful when investigating patents or intellectual property. The article asserts:
We understand that the majority of inventors seeking a patent are not covered under the large umbrella of million dollar investors and mega-companies. That is why we recommend Article One to our readers. Article One Partners provide low-cost, fast patent searches for their clients. Unlike traditional patent search companies, AOP utilize crowd-sourcing to guarantee their clients a worldwide, thorough search.
An example of the escalating “heat” in the intellectual property kitchen appears in “Patent Wars Heat Up as Google Courts InterDigital.” The story asserts that Google “recently held talks about buying InterDigital”, a company which produces wireless technology. The Forbes’ article emphasizes that “InterDigital is crucial for Google’s lagging patent portfolio.” The most telling observation in the write up, in my opinion, was:
Although Google indicates that these lawsuits act as a threat to innovation, Google is really looking to acquire more patents to give itself for strategic fire power since it currently has just about 730 U.S. patents to its name compared to Apple’s 4,000 and Microsoft’s 18,000.
What’s clear is that a patent arms race is now underway. Instead of MBA thinking, some companies are likely to be influenced by Herman Kahn’s and Evan Jones’s On Thermonuclear War.
My view is that many professionals overestimate their ability to conduct online research. In a focus group conducted with young librarians, three surprising insights emerged from a one hour discussion of online searching expertise.
First, some of the people trained as librarians often avoid commercial services due to cost and complexity, preferring to use the Web services available without charge. One example given was Google’s patent search service. One person in the focus group pointed out that some librarians may not be aware that the corpus does not include applications and other matter available from commercial services.
Second, there was a perception that an increasing number of reference desk visitors and libraries patrons believed that they could locate the information via a service like Bing or Exalead’s excellent Web search which I use for certain types of professional content. The problem is that casual searchers lack expertise in certain complex content domains like chemistry or patents. Furthermore, there was, according to the focus group, no awareness of services such as Derwent or Questel, both of high value for certain types of patent research.
Third, there was even among the focus group members only basic knowledge about the conventions and coding used for patent searches. The numbering methods, the challenge of figures, and the importance of claims were not covered in depth in certain information service training programs. This is an issue with the library training programs themselves.
The bottom line is that when an important patent research project surfaces, it is a good idea to turn to professionals. We have been impressed with the Article One Partners’ approach to patent research and litigation support. That is one path you may want to consider.
Stephen E Arnold, August 11, 2011
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