Patent Information Services for Developing Countries
One of the principal mandates of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is to offer technical assistance to developing countries. This also includes the access to and use of technological information contained in patent documents in order to accelerate the economic, social and cultural development in developing countries. In line with this part of its mandate, WIPO has assisted a number of developing countries and countries in transition in establishing their national industrial property information system by providing, for example, expert assistance, training, and collections of patent documents. Furthermore, in view of the growing information needs of national industries, R&D community and the business sector of developing countries, WIPO set-up and operates the unique WIPO Patent Information Services (WPIS) for handling individual requests for patent information.
Legal Status of Patents
The objective of the patent legal status project is to investigate and improve the availability, reliability and comparability of legal status information of patents and patent applications world wide.