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How LORs and NIFs can help your business

By Johanna Gibson, David Pearce, Jeremy Phillips and Ilanah Simon.

The IPKat reports that, last weekend, the UK's Intellectual Property Office was industriously launching two new patents databases on its website. According to the IPO's press release,

"One contains all patents in force in the UK which are endorsed Licence of Right, and are therefore open for licensing. The other contains all UK patents which are no longer in force, and therefore contains inventions which are no longer protected here. Both the new databases will help businesses identify opportunities they might otherwise not have found.

Sean Dennehey, Assistant Comptroller and Director of Patents, said "The introduction of these two new free databases, which were recommended in the Gowers Review, will we hope, give UK businesses ready access to good ideas and new opportunities."

The databases are based on the design of the successful e-Patents Journal available on the Intellectual Property website and will be updated weekly. Each provides a searchable sub-set of data from the Patents Register, and provides links back to the Register and to esp@cenet (which is the web database service for viewing patent specifications)".

The IPKat notes the heading of the IPO press release, "New patent web databases to help UK business". He suspects that, unless some subtle means has been found to bar access to non-UK business, the new service will benefit businesses wherever they are, if they propose to trade in the UK.

Licence of Right (LOR) patents here
Not in Force (NIF) patents here

Full post as published by IPKat on January 20, 2009 (boomark / email).