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"Quality is a shared burden"
4 November 2008
Around 450 patent
information specialists from around the world gathered in Stockholm, Sweden
at the EPO Patent Information Conference on 28-30 October to discuss ways to improve the quality of patent data and
patent searches.
Speaking at the conference, Richard Flammer, Principal Director for Patent Information at the EPO, said: "If quality is good, and applicants' pre-filing searches are reliable, applicants can file patents with confidence."
"Quality is a shared burden," he told the audience.
John Han, Vice-President, Patent Development at Ericsson AB, said that patent data that accurately reflects the prior art is in everybody's interest.
Giving the example of a US firm that reserves $300 million per year to cover the defence of its IP rights in court, he said: "Comprehensive prior art knowledge is essential for defending your rights."
EPO presenters highlighted
the many actions the Office has taken to assure the quality of its databases. Other
presenters identified two challenges outside the EPO's direct field of
influence: how to improve the quality of patent applications at the point of
entry into the system, particularly titles and abstracts, and how to perform a
quality patent search.
Speaking from the perspective of a patent searcher, Bettina de Jong from Shell said that there are two quality factors when it comes to patent documents: the correctness of the data and clear disclosure.
Citing examples of non-descriptive titles, abstracts and vague claims, she suggested ways to encourage companies to submit better applications, including a revision of the EPO's fee structure.
Participants also noted problems related to the volume of documents available to searchers, especially those published in Asian languages.
In a personal summary of the discussions, Stephen Adams, Managing Director of Magister Ltd, called for better training of patent searchers. "We need certification," he told the conference, adding that this would be a "genuine step towards improving levels of certainty".
The next EPO Patent Information Conference will take place in Biarritz, France from 3-5 November 2009.
Further information
- EPO events: Patent Information Conference 2008