Patent Quality Matters | Article One Partners Blog

The National Football League's Super Bowl is one of the most watched sporting events in the world.  While the outcome of this Sunday's game is most meaningful to the fans of the two competing teams, the event will still draw millions around the world.  In the U.S., the Big Game is an annual event that provides a reason to gather and make merry with friends on a Sunday night in the middle of winter, regardless of who wins!

On January 30th, Article One board member Marshall Phelps addressed a dinner crowd at this year’s LES IP100 Executive Forum.  His speech covered new developments and tools for IP management in the current global IP market.

As described on the event page, the IP100 Executive Forum is “a unique and exclusive gathering of senior executives charged with the IP decision-making responsibilities within their organizations.”

Last night, Article One sponsored the second annual Crowdsortium Boston Meetup, alongside headliners uTest and Crowdly (formerly Appswell).  The event was a huge success, drawing more than 100 participants from a variety of backgrounds.  The panel discussion and networking created an environment to learn about the many methods within crowdsourcing, directly from the source.

With patent data available for no less than 184 WIPO member states, trends in IP can be found all over the world.  The largest patent offices often receive the most attention, but many smaller patent zones are experiencing exciting growth and innovation. This week, we will examine IP in the Middle Eastern economy of Jordan.

The International Property Rights Index is a measurement of property rights around the world.  The annual report presents trends and changes in levels of physical and intellectual property protection in 129 countries.  While it is certainly not the only international measurement of property rights quality, it is among the most inclusive and comprehensive.

There are a number of high-quality, free-of-charge research resources on the Internet, including a variety of BioMed and BioTech resources.  But the fact remains that many of the largest, most advanced search databases require membership or per-article payment.  This presents a problem for Article One Researchers who need to search a wide range of topics and databases.  Or does it?

This week’s featured researcher is Eric R. from Ellicott City, Maryland.  Eric is a software engineer who received his BA from Johns Hopkins University.  He learned about Article One from a recent news article.  He had no experience with patent research before becoming an AOP Researcher, but says that he enjoys the experience because it involves a knowledge base in which he has personal interest.

On January 30^th, leaders in crowdsourcing will come together at the second annual Crowdsortium Boston Meetup at the Microsoft NERD Center in Cambridge.  This year, Article One is proud to join local crowdsourcing firms uTest and Crowdly as primary sponsors of the event.  It will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 pm and feature a panel of industry experts, including Jeff Howe, the “Father of Crowdsourcing.”  The Meetup is free, open to the public, and sure to be a fantastic evening!

Article One publishes a Tip of the Week in each edition of our email newsletter.  The following is a compilation of Tips that center on the subject of getting started with the search process.

As a Researcher, it can seem daunting to find a starting point in a Study.  The huge amount of information and data available on the Internet requires background research to get going. We've written about the basic methods tackling this stage in the Study before, but here are some additional tips that can help get your research rolling.

The PCT system, in place for decades, has been gaining serious ground in recent years.  The system allows inventors to achieve international patent protection more easily and affordably than would be possible by simply writing applications for each country.  The WIPO collects data on annual PCT usage, including the activity of international government organizations.  In addition to companies and individual inventors, government-funded groups are some of the more frequent patent filers around the world.  These include government agencies, institutes, societies, and commissions.   Here are the Top 5 from the 2010 records.