PATENT INFORMATION SERVICES

Nageen Ainuddin
PAKISTAN SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGICAL
INFORMATION CENTER (PASTIC)

Seminar on
Global Recognition of Patent System
13 -14 December, 2006, Karachi
 CONTENTS
• Patents as Information Resource
• PASTIC Mission /Objectives/Activities / Services
• Situation in Pakistan
• PASTIC Initiative
• Patent Information Services
• Available Patent Information Resources on the Net
• Awareness Workshops
• Target Group
• Check list for Patent Application
• Fee Structure
 Patents as Information Resource
• Patents provides a wealth of information like any S&T
journal.
• Patents contain a thorough explanation of a particular
technology.
• Patents provide a complete description for making the
invention and conditions under which the invention will
not work.
• By providing information, patents promote R&D,
stimulate the economy and increase the level of
knowledge of the population.
• Patents also reveal trends and sources of new products,
what the competition is and help find new suppliers,
markets or know-how that can be used under licence.
 Patents as Information Resource
• Thus learning the existing solutions to certain
technical problems also gives ideas for better
inventions. In almost any field, some work has
already been done somewhere and it makes
sense to attack a problem with all the available
knowledge at hand. Sometimes the solution to
a certain problem exists in a foreign patent, and
it can be used without restriction elsewhere.
 Situation in Pakistan
•Few R&D Organizations and SMEs realize the
importance of intellectual property rights in
general and patents in particular and how to
manage their assets through IP protection.

• Researchers and SMEs are not aware of the IP

system or the protection it can provide for their
inventions, brands, and designs.
 Situation in Pakistan

•Little inventions/innovative ventures

• In-efficient IP System till 2005
• Lack of Research – Industry linkage
• Lack of automation of the patent system
• Inadequate funds with the Patent Office,
 Improvement of the Situation
The situation needs to be improved through various
promotional activities and efforts. The foremost in this
endeavor is to create awareness in the scientific
community about the benefits of inventions and patents
so that research is oriented towards obtaining patents.
Moreover, they should be informed as to how to get their
inventions / research patented, since the level of
awareness regarding filing of patents is also very low.
PASTIC has taken some steps to improve the situation by
providing various kinds of patent information services.
 PASTIC Mission

To serve as a gateway for

dissemination of scientific and
technological information for
Research & Development purposes
 PASTIC Objectives
•Procure, process and disseminate S&T information to
the scientific community in form of literature.
•Interact with regional / international information
networks.
•Develop inter-library cooperation, resource sharing
•Train information personnel in contemporary
techniques and methods of information handling.
•Develop/strengthen the Science Reference Library.
•Compile Information Reference Tools
 ACTIVITIES/SERVICES
Bibliographic Service
Document Supply Service
Abstracting & Indexing
Patent Information Services
Information Reference Tools
National Science Reference Library Service
Liaison with International Networks
Human Resource Development
Science Awareness through TV Channels
Reprographic Service
IT Support Services
 PASTIC Initiative for Patent
Information Services

– Provides information about Patent System &

its benefits through Awareness Seminars.
– Provides Patent Search Service
– Provides copies of Patents
– Guides/assists the researchers in filling and
filing of patent applications
– Provides Info  about Patent Attorneys.
 Aims & Objective of IP Services
 Disseminating technological information

& know- how

 IP awareness in R & D organizations / SMEs
 Promotion of innovative activity /patents
 Promotion of Technology/ IP Culture
 Bridging gap between R&D sector and the

industry
 Enhancement of Capacity Building,
 Increasing Efficiency and Competitiveness

 Recognition in world markets

 Awareness Seminars
PASTIC organizes Awareness Seminars /
Workshops for sensitizing researchers in
R & D organizations, universities, business
community, technology managers, CCIs and
government officials about IP particularly
patents. . This has helped the R&D sector and
SMEs in understanding the importance of IP.
 Target Group for Seminars

·R& D Organizations
·Academic Institutions, Professional
Colleges & University Researchers,
·Entrepreneurs
·  Industry
• SMEs
 Patent Search Services
•identify trends in a specific field of technology
•discover new product lines which can be licensed
from the patentee.
•find information that prevents duplication of
research
•identify the current state of the art .
•keep track of the work of a particular individual or
company by seeing what patents they have been
granted.
•find a solution to a technical problem
•gain new ideas for research in a particular field.
 Patent Document Supply Service

PASTIC provides copies of foreign patents on

demand on very nominal charges. PASTIC has
established linkages with WIPO and some Patent
Offices in other countries.

PASTIC also has a collection of about 0.3 million

patent documents from, Canada, USA and
Australia.
 Patent Information Resources
(Free On line databases)
 Intellectual Property Digital Library
http://www.wipo.int/ipdl/en/search/pct/search-
adv.jsp
 IBM Patent Searching Site(26 years of U.S.
Patent , European and PCT patent documents )
http://www.uspatentinfo.com/:
 Espacent ( European patents database)
http://www.european-patent-
office.org/espacenet/info/index.htm
 http://www.patentexplorer.com/:
 Patent Information Resources
(On line Commercial databases)
 Dervent
 Dialog Information Services
 Compuserve.
 Lexis
 Nexis.
 Questel/Orbit
 Guidance to Researchers

PASTIC provides guidance and

information to researchers and
inventers in filling and filling of
patent applications by providing a
Check List of Documents and items
required with the application.
 WIPO University Initiative

WIPO, under its newly launched University

Initiative Programme has designated NED
University and Quaid-i-Azam University
“University IP Coordinators,” (UPIC). PASTIC
has been designated as the IP Focal Point to
coordinate the activities of UPICs. The main
purpose of this programme is to tap the vast
innovative potential of the innovators,
entrepreneurs and researchers of the country
helping them to experiment with new approaches
to innovation.

·
 WIPO University Initiative
Under this Programme CDs of following
Patent databases were supplied to
PASTIC.·

US Patents
Selected Bibliographic Information from

US Patents Issued from 1969-June 2005

GLOBAT(PCT)
Text and Drawings from Patent First
Pages
 Some Recommendations for R&D
Organizations / SMEs
•Understand the power of IPR : evaluate risks &
opportunities
•Should have an IPR System/ Cell, managed by
an IPR Manager
•Reach an agreement with employees and other
collaborators on the ownership of project results

•Train all employees in IPR

THANK YOU