The Healthcare and Science business of Thomson Reuters, US, has released its 2009 Patent Focus Report. Authored by Joff Wild, editor of Intellectual Asset Management magazine, and published in the Thomson Reuters KnowledgeLink eNewsletter, the report explores recent activities at each of the world's major patenting authorities (the US, Europe, Japan, China and India). The report is available free at http://go.thomsonreuters.com/pfr2009.
According to the report, patent approval rates at the US Patent and Trademark Office continue to fall to below 50 percent of applications examined. Other key findings are that for the second year in a row, the Japan Patent Office reported the lowest level of approved patent applications since the mid-1990s. The European Patent Office received 140,700 applications in 2007, up over 3 percent from the year before. In contrast, the number of patents granted fell from 62,800 in 2006 to 54,700 in 2008. The number of patent examiners in India has remained relatively static - raising questions about the quality of patents coming out of the Indian IP Office. In response, at the end of 2008, India announced 414 new examiner posts to be created by 2012. Also, it was noted that for the first time a Chinese company, Huawei Technologies, topped the list of Patent Co-operation Treaty applications.
Published as part of the customisable KnowledgeLink eNewsletter, the 2009 Patent Focus Report is claimed to draw on the expertise of Thomson Reuters specialists and guest authors. It is also seen to delivers a unique insight into trends in information management and research for information professionals, research scientists and intellectual property specialists. KnowledgeLink is distributed every two months to subscribers who can register for free and select their customised content at scientific.thomsonreuters.com/news.
