tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post2207242030686228089..comments2024-03-29T06:53:23.405+00:00Comments on The IPKat: Patent information - a dodgy statistic?Verónica RodrÃguez Arguijohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05763207846940036921noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-81918447890650648232007-08-21T08:49:00.000+01:002007-08-21T08:49:00.000+01:00Isn't the reason behind this fairly obvious? Compa...Isn't the reason behind this fairly obvious? Companies publish the information that they generate with their research mainly by patents because they get something in return. There is little incentive for them to publish in non-patent literature.<BR/><BR/>And, although this 80% is just a ballpark figure, it seems a reasonable number, with the possible exception of some areas of technology (software e.g.). Try doing a prior art search without patents and see how far you get...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5574479.post-90942181806168648022007-08-16T17:55:00.000+01:002007-08-16T17:55:00.000+01:00It says here at http://www.osti.gov/energycitation...It says here at http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=7162811 that "one study found that 80% of the information disclosed in patents is not published anywhere else (Office of Technology Assessment and Forecasting, 1977)". <BR/><BR/>It also says here at http://www.uspto.gov/go/taf/brochure_old_ntis.htm#NTIS_TAF_Reports that the Technology Assessment and Forecast Reports, Eighth Report (December 1977), is published by a group of the USPTO that is now disbanded and that "The report reviews U.S. patenting in the context of domestic vs. international patenting and analyzes the balance of patenting between the United States and other countries. It presents an analysis of the extent of disclosure of patented technology in the non-patent literature, showing that much of patented technology is only disclosed in the patent documents. This report concludes with an in depth analysis of patent activity in geophysical exploration for hydrocarbons". The report is apparently available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) http://www.ntis.gov but I rather doubt anyone will bother reading it.<BR/> <BR/>Of course, it is doubtful that a figure of 30 years ago, pre-patenting explosion, pre-internet, still holds true.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com