Perform Searches: In my area of interest
- Perform Searches in my area of interest
- For similar or equivalent technologies
- For competitors or potential partners
- To discover new markets
By considering what is already protected, granted or registered in terms of IP rights, someone may find out what else is happening in a specific area. Useful information in a specific area may be extracted through an IP search because IP documents contain detailed and unique types of information.
For example:
- patent documents fully describe a specific invention from a technological area;
- trade-mark documents show the wares and services identified by a certain trade-mark;
- industrial design documents show the visual features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornament applied to a manufactured article;
- copyright documents specify the title and type of work protected; and
- integrated circuit topography documents show drawings of the three-dimensional configuration of the electronic circuits used in microchips and semiconductor chips.
It is well recognized that patent documents are the largest single source of technical information in the world. It is estimated that more than 70 percent of the information in patent documents is not available elsewhere.
