The growing business handbook : inspiration and advice ... - Sparkler

Exploring patent information
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Areas of technology that have very little patents could indicate a good option
for research.
Areas of technology that have a large number of patents may indicate a high
probability of litigation or a very high cost for due diligence (identifying any
patents in force for a particular subject matter).
The above information can be used to develop a working strategy to either avoid
potential problems and/or to identify new products and new areas for research.
The pitfalls
There are a number of problems associated with patent searching and subsequent
decisions that are made off the back of the information found. The problems include:
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Delays in database updating of information.
Data incorrectly stored on databases.
Only partial information for particular patent territories.
Partial or no language translations for foreign patents.
Information stored in different formats for different databases.
Particular assignee and inventor names can be difficult to pin down.
Google allows third parties to buy the data you search on.
Google statistical tools allow website owners to view the search terms used by
third parties to navigate to their website.
The best way to overcome the above is to use multiple databases (including national
registers, eg The Intellectual Property Office in the UK, the European Register, etc) to
maximize coverage and make sure you properly research a particular company so
that you know who their partners/subsidiaries are and who are the directors of these
companies. For Google searching, you should not use undisclosed information when
searching with this and similar search engines.
Final word
Be aware of the dangers of drawing conclusions based on limited or inaccurate
information. There is no substitute for properly researched patent information and
if you follow the above advice it can provide excellent information for you to be
able to improve on your knowledge base with regards to competitors and current
products.
Companies that regularly analyse patent information, in their area of technology,
automatically have a big advantage over their competitors. They are able to see areas
lacking in development and may even be able to identify where the next innovation
should be. So the best advice, for companies developing a product and/or developing