Generally, patent information is information about published patent applications, granted patents and registered utility models. Original information comes from the official publications of the national patent offices. The value of the patent information compared to other scientific and technical information is that it contains the newest information about inventions. As a rule, the inventions are kept top secret before the publication of the patent applications.
Among other things, patent information helps to:
- avoid duplication of research and development;
- assess the patentability of the invention;
- avoid violation of other patents.
The most comprehensive access to patent information is through the patent information centers at the patent offices (see the directory of patent information centers (PATLIB) on the EPO website).
There is also a free online patent database Espacenet.
Last updated: 01.02.2022