Report:Esp@cenet/Overview
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Overview
The following section contains subjective comments about the system that represent our editor's opinions, and should not be viewed as fact. Editor's opinions include positive and negative judgments about the product written in consideration of wider context, including related products and the industry at large. Further subjective information is presented in clearly labeled "Editor's Notes" throughout the report.
Esp@cenet is a free search service offered by the European Patent Office (EPO). The major data source used by esp@cenet is the DOCDB bibliographic and legal status data file, which is also used to create the bibliographic backbone of most commercially available subscription databases.
The purpose of esp@cenet is to provide a free, entry-level search database, making up-to-date patent information accessible to individuals and small business entities who cannot afford more sophisticated search tools. The resource is so valuable particularly because it is based upon the industry-standard DOCDB bibliographic file, and maintained by the producer of that data. Therefore, its data coverage is extensive, and its updates are as timely as in most subscription databases based on DOCDB. The system’s goal is to make the resources used by European patent examiners also accessible to the general public.
Because it is a free resource, and is designed specifically to be an entry-level service, the system cannot support complex searches, and does not offer the search history or analysis features found in most subscription databases. It is best used as a supplementary tool for the patent search professional. However, it is an important supplement. The system provides access to millions of document facsimile images. It also provides a unique value-added service by hosting “image mosaics”: visual summaries of the patent drawings, reduced to fit on just a few pages, for quick scanning.
All these advantages have caused many commercial providers to worry about continuing improvements to the excellence of the esp@cenet services, especially because public usage of the service between 2005 and 2007 continued to rise rapidly.[1] In response, the EPO has stated that it does not intend to improve esp@cenet to the point where it can compete with the commercial providers on value-added services. However, despite the purposeful absence of some professional workflow features, it’s clear that the esp@cenet service is an extraordinary free benefit to the patent community.
Sources
- ↑ Poydner, Richard. "Interview with the EPO’s Wolfgang Pilch." Blog post. October 24, 2007. Open and Shut? http://poynder.blogspot.com/search?q=pilch. Accessed on October 25, 2007.
