An Evaluation of the Internet as a Searching Tool
for Patents and Intellectual Property:
Alternative or Complementary?
by John Kramer
INTRODUCTION

To roughly paraphrase Winston Churchill, with the advent of the Internet, never has so much information been accessible so easily by so many. The Internet is both one of the greatest collections of information ever strung together and one of the world's largest expanding markets. As such, there are usually two competing forces occupying the Internet: those out to make a buck, and those desiring to disseminate or provide information for some nobler purpose.

The question to be answered here is whether or not the Internet can be used as a stand alone tool for all patent or other intellectual property (I.P.) searching. To answer this, a number or factors must be examined: 1) what information is necessary to do I.P. searching, 2) what information is available on the Internet (and why), 3) how accessible or convenient the information is, and 4) whether the costs involved are economically feasible in comparison to other non-Internet services or sources.

Upon examining the resources available on the Internet and the factors above, it will become clear that the Internet is almost, but not quite, an alternative to other searching tools or sources.
 

WHAT IS I.P. SEARCHING?

Before a product or tool can be evaluated, it is necessary to define exactly what task is to be done with that tool. Here the task is intellectual property searching. Since the legal status of intellectual property or potential intellectual property (patentable, not patentable, valid, non-valid, etc.) depends to a degree on what other, related intellectual property or information is in existence, intellectual property searching is, simply put, the process of gathering information about related I.P. for the purpose of forming a legal opinion about the legal status of a particular piece of intellectual property or the area surrounding it. Thus, for example, a search to determine if an invention is patentable (a prior art search) involves gathering patents or other published information to determine if the supposedly new invention has already been patented by someone else or made public knowledge, or, even if so, it legally matters.

The general sub-categories of intellectual property that involve or require searching are patents, copyrights, and trademarks, tradenames, or tradedress. Ideally, a searcher would have the following information at his or her fingertips in order to perform a complete search:

Patent searches -- all patents world-wide ever issued, all patent applications world-wide, the legal status of all patents world-wide, and all the information that's ever been published about technology.

Copyrights -- since copyright law differs from patent or trademark law in that identical, independently created works can each be copyrighted, there is no need to do

extensive searches for new written works. Infringements (from copying, etc.) are taken care of after the fact in court. Thus, the only information source necessary is the legal status of current copyrights.

Trademarks, etc. -- complete registration information (especially description) and legal status of all trademarks, etc., issued throughout the world.
 

WHAT SOURCES FOR I.P. SEARCHING ARE THERE BESIDES THE INTERNET?

There are a few methods generally used for I.P. searching besides the Internet. They are:

1. Print publications: these include all the traditional, print, index and record volumes. In the U.S., for patents, they include the USPTO's Index and Manual of Classifications, the USPTO's Gazette, and print or micro- fiched full text patents. They may also include the actual patents at the Patent and Trademark office that are available for public search.

Some systems, for example the USPTO's Cassis system, combine both print and CD-ROM sources for searching.

2. CD-ROMs: many companies produce CD-ROM editions of their on-line databases. These are periodically updated, but are usually expensive. Good for high-volume I.P. searching.

3. Direct dial on-line databases: while most companies are making a move to provide direct Internet access to their databases, there are still many companies that require a direct phone link, or even specialized access software. Depending on the company, many direct dial databases are searchable only by using a proprietary search language.
 

THE INTERNET AS A SEARCH TOOL: WHAT IS AVAILABLE

The Internet is a surprisingly good place to conduct I.P. searching. Patents are covered the most, followed by trademarks, and then copyrights. It is important to remember that while there are many access points for I.P. searching on the Internet, the cost may still be as great as with other means. The following lists provide summarized information about the scope and cost of many I.P. searching websites. More information about the sites is provided in the Appendix.
 

FREE SERVICES ON THE INTERNET

Provider Service Scope

Chemical Patents Plus Patent Search U.S. patents from 1975, selected coverage from 1971, full images from 1994. Free viewing of title and abstract only.

Community of Science U.S patent citations Bibliographic, classifications, claims and family history of U.S. patents from 1975.

Derwent Patent Discovery Bibliographic info. of last three weeks of Derwent's new world patents.

IBM Patent Search Bibliographies, claims of U.S. patents from 1971; images from 1980.

Micropatent Patent Search Full text of last four weeks of U.S. patents. VIEWING NOT FREE.

Micropatent USPTO Gazette Updated weekly, approx. last 6 months worth.

Questel-Orbit QPAT Abstract Search U.S. patent front pages back to 1974.

Shadow Patent Office Recently Issued Patents Browse last 52 weeks of U.S. patents by title and number.

Shadow Patent Office USPTO Manual of Classifications.

Shadow Patent Office Class/Subclass Hierarchy Display

Shadow Patent Office U.S. Patent Search From 1995. View titles, patent #s, classification #s.

Shadow Patent Office U.S. "Infringement Search" From 1995, does patent family search (retrieves patent numbers similar to patent # entered).

Thomson & Thomson Saegis Sample trademark search 60,000 USPTO trademark records.

Thomson & Thomson Saegis Internet Domain Name search Internet Domain Names

Thomson & Thomson Saegis Trademark Alert Recently granted USPTO trademarks.

Thomson & Thomson Saegis Virtual Gazette Recent USPTO trademark transactions.

US Copyright Office Downloadable Forms

USPTO Patent Search Bibliographies of U.S. patents from 1976; U.S., European, Japanese AIDS patents.

USPTO Index and Manual of Internet version of print Classification publication.

USPTO Downloadable Forms
 

PAY SERVICES ON THE INTERNET

Provider Service Scope/Price

Chemical Patents Plus Enhanced U.S. Patent Searching is free, but full text Viewing viewing is $4.50/patent. From 1975.

Knight-Ridder DialogWeb Database searching. Huge number of business, I.P., tech. databases, especially world and U.S. patents, trademarks, etc. Pricing varies on the databases searched and the viewing format, but is not inexpensive.

Micropatent PatentWEB Delivery of full text U.S. Patents back to 1974.

Delivery of EP, PCT patents/applications back to 1978.

Download full U.S., EP, PCT patent

$3/patent; other options available.

Optipat U.S. Patent delivery Varies. $2.50/patent by mail.

Questel-Orbit QPAT Patent searching Full text U.S. from 1974, no images; pricing $195/mo., $1995/year.

Scientific & Technical Technical database Some patent information. Pricing Information Network (STN) searching min. $2/search, viewing from free to $20/hit.

Shadow Patent Office Patent search/delivery Full text U.S. patents from 1972. Pricing varies.

Thomson & Thomson Saegis Trademarkscan World Trademarks; pricing depends on viewing format ($.25 to $2.50/hit)

Thomson & Thomson Saegis Internet Search $125/search.

USPTO U.S. Patent delivery Varies; usually $3/patent + delivery costs. NOT ON-LINE ORDERING!
 

WHAT ISN'T COVERED ON THE INTERNET

There are definitely gaps in the I.P. searching coverage provided on the Internet. To a person with limited resources (money), the gaps are even larger. Although there are many sources of free information, that information is limited primarily to the realm of patents, in particular bibliographic data (titles, abstracts, inventor/assignee) for U.S. patents going back to the early 1970s. Other areas of free coverage allow access to recently processed information only, which may be useful for someone wanting to keep track of a particular company's or competitor's recent I.P. developments, but not for much else.

If one is willing or able to pay, the usefulness of the Internet as an access point for I.P. searching increases rapidly. Knight-Ridder's DialogWeb alone is one of the most useful of tools for an I.P. searcher, and provides coverage to world patents and trademarks going back many years. There are also numerous sources for full patent document delivery at varying, and sometimes quite reasonable, prices. However, there aren't really any comprehensive sources for the searching or delivery of old patents, and world patent delivery is even more limited.

As far as the other I.P. areas go, trademarks are covered fairly well by DialogWeb and T&T's Saegis. Copyright searching is extremely limited, but there is very little call for it either, which reminds us that organizations that provide I.P. searching on the Internet are often trying to make money.
 

ECONOMICS OF INTERNET I.P. SEARCHING

While much of the Internet is devoted to the free dissemination of information, I.P. searching is dominated by organizations trying to make money (which is not unusual considering the costs involved of maintaining databases and the perception that intellectual property is a big-business/big-money concern). With the exception of the IBM Patent site and the government sites, most of the free services offered are limited, and are either for the convenience of pay users or for the purpose of getting one to use other, fee-based services. Much can be accomplished by using the free sites or sources, but at some point complete patents will have to be ordered or other, more comprehensive, fee-based sites accessed. People wanting professional quality searches will have to use services like DialogWeb or the soon-to-come Questel-Orbit site, and the cost of using these can be as great as any other source.
 

CONCLUSION: ALTERNATIVE OR COMPLEMENTARY?

At this point in time the Internet cannot be considered an alternative for the I.P. searcher, that is, the one and only tool or access point used by the searcher. However, it almost is an alternative, for most areas of information required by the I.P. searcher are covered. There are sources for world and U.S. patents and trademarks and vast arrays of technical information, as well as sources for delivering the documents via mail, fax or by computer. What there isn't, though, is universal coverage, especially for world patents and older patents, and while most searchers may not always need access to these, at some point in time they may, and the Internet cannot be considered an alternative until every searcher is able to do every task via the world wide web.

Finally, it is important to point out that the Internet in conjunction with direct-dial services (for example, Questel-Orbit, Library of Congress, Corporate Intelligence) provide direct computer access to almost every available electronic source of I.P. information (Questel-Orbit: other databases; Library of Congress: copyright registration information; Corporate Intelligence: delivery of older patents). At that point there are very few gaps in available information.
 

APPENDIX: Detailed Internet I.P. Website Information

(note: this appendix does not cover every I.P. related sites, only those involved with self-service I.P. searching).

NAME: Chemical Patents Plus

ADDRESS: http://casweb.cas.org/chempatplus/

SUBJECT MATTER: U.S. Patents

FREE SERVICES (with registration -- no startup/monthly fees):

1. Name: Patent Search

Purpose: Search and view U.S. patents.

Scope: U.S. patents to 1975, selected coverage to 1971 (full images back to Jan. 1, 1994). Full text versions must be paid for!

Viewing: Title, abstract

Searching: Text or patent data field (boolean available)

Comments: With registeration, free searching and viewing of abstracts and titles.

PAY SERVICES:

1. Name: Enhanced patent viewing.

Prices:

Patent title and abstract Free

Patent number $2.00/patent

Patent number and title $2.00/patent

Patent number, title, and abstract $2.00/patent

Complete front page $2.00/patent

Front page and main claim $2.00/patent

Front page and all claims $2.00/patent

Brief front page and all claims $2.00/patent

Complete patent $4.00/patent

TIFF Image Formats (charged based on sections viewed; all pages in a section can be viewed for a single fee).

Front Page Section $2.00/section

Drawings Section $2.00/section

Description Section $2.00/section

Claims Section $2.00/section

Amendments Section $2.00/section

FAX Delivery (Complete Patent)

Standard FAX (24-hours) $12.00/patent

Rush FAX (4-hours) $22.00/patent

Super Rush FAX (1-hour) $32.00/patent

HELP: Limited on-line help with index.

COMMENTS: Offers enhanced chemical patent coverage (including 3-D modeling of selected chemicals). No monthly or startup fees.
 

NAME: Community of Science U.S. Patent Citation Database

ADDRESS: http://muscat.gdb.org/repos/pat

SUBJECT MATTER: U.S. Patents

FREE SERVICES (see 'comment' below):

1. Name: U.S. Patent Citation Database

Purpose: Search U.S. patents.

Scope: U.S. patents back to 1975. Displays full bibliographic information, classifications, claims, and family history.

Searching: Full text, field, classification, and boolean.

HELP: Limited (information at (410)563-5382).

COMMENTS: The free status of this site may change. The website indicated that this service was accessible by subscription only ($500-2000 per year). However, I was able to access and do searches without having to register or enter a password/user identification.
 

NAME: Derwent

ADDRESS: http://www.derwent.com

SUBJECT MATTER: World patents.

SUBSCRIPTION/PAY SERVICES ON INTERNET:

1. Name: Guide to Patent Expirations.

Purpose: Calculate patent expiration dates from 110 issuing authorities world wide.

Price: $100 (updates included).

FREE SERVICES:

1. Name: Patent Discovery

Purpose: Bibliographic searching and viewing of recent world patents.

Scope: Patents processed by Derwent within the last three weeks issued by

some 40 world-wide issuing authorities.

Searching: Text, classes, inventors, company, assignee, title.

Help: Search tips.

HELP: Limited

COMMENTS: Derwent offers a full line of patent databases, including the ever exciting Derwent World Patents Index, through third party database providers such as Dialog and Questel-Orbit, and also offers patent document delivery services.
 

NAME: Knight-Ridder -- DIALOG, DIALOG WEB, DATASTAR

ADDRESSES:

General information about Knight-Ridder and its products: http://www.dialog.com

DialogWeb: http://dialog.krinfo.com

DataStar Web: http://dsweb.krinfo.ch

DataStar Web demo: http://dsweb.krinfo.ch/test

Sourceone: http://www.krsourceone.com

SUBJECT MATTER: General database provider -- includes Thomson-Thomson trademark databases, full world patent databases (U.S., Japanese, European, Derwent World Patent Index), as well as numerous other business, news, and technical databases.

Some patent databases that are available include:

Derwent World Patent Index: 1963 to present, weekly updates.

INPADOC (bibliographic world patent information -- no abstracts or subject searching): 1978-current.

JAPIO (English-language access to Japanese patent applications, etc.:

1976-current, monthly updates.

Full text U.S. patents: 1971-current, weekly updates.

SUBSCRIPTION/PAY SERVICES:

1. Name: SOURCEONE

Purpose: Document delivery (patent and other).

Scope: U.S. patents 1977 (#4,000,000 and greater)-current

European Patent Applications: 1978-current

European Patents: 1985-current

PCT (patent cooperation treaty)

International Applications: 1990-current.

Other technical/business information: for complete listing, see

Krsourceone.krinfo.com/htmls/S1Cat.html.

Comments: Full text delivery via fax, mail, express delivery, e-mail. SOURCEONE can provide patents earlier than those noted in 'Scope' above for a higher fee. Currently ordering is by fax/e- mail; however, a new website at www.krsourceone.com is under construction for on-line document ordering.

Prices: Prices depend on customer location, patent type/date, and desired form of delivery. Examples include (for U.S./Canadian customers):

Locally stored patents Other U.S. patents* All others*

(dates as covered in 'Scope')

Mail $5 $13 $20

Internet (e-mail) $5 $13 $20

Express mail $16 $23 $30

Fax U.S./Canada $12 $20 $27

* requires at least 2 business days + delivery time to receive.

2. Name: DIALOG Web

Purpose: Search databases and view contents.

Scope: Huge number of databases available (business, I.P., news, etc.). See above for some examples.

Searching: Dialog searching language (text and boolean).

Pricing: Sign-up fee for DIALOG in U.S. per organization: $295 in the U.S. ($25/additional password).

Annual membership fee per password: $144 per password.

On-line connect time: $6/hour.

Additional fees per hour and result viewing format depend on the database (file) searched. For example:

Derwent World Patents Index Latest 1981-present

(subscribers C) -- File 351

Per hour $195.00

Type (Full Record, Format 9) 1.53

Type (Full Record plus Patent Image,

Format 19) 1.98

Print (Full Record, Format 9) 1.88

Print (Full Record plus Patent Image,

Format 19) 2.55

FREE SERVICES: On-line blue sheets.

HELP: On-line; toll free number 1-800-334-2564 U.S./Canada.

COMMENTS: A comprehesive and easy to use provider.
 

NAME: IBM Patent Website

ADDRESS: http://patent.womplex.ibm.com

SUBJECT MATTER: Patents

SUBSCRIPTION/PAY SERVICES:

1. Name: Patent ordering via Optipat

Purpose: Request hard copies of entire patents on-line.

Price:

Printed US Patent Copies (300 dpi laser quality, Patents 1974 to present, shipped within 24 hours of receipt of order).

$2.50 per patent (up to 100 pages)

$2.50 for each additional 100 pages or a

portion thereof

Facsimile Copies (1 hour service, patents 1974 to present)

$9.00 per patent (up to 20 pages)

$0.40 per page after 20 pages

ASCII Text of US Patents on CD-ROM (Patents 1974 to present, can be edited with any word processor)

$1.00 per patent (no size limit)

Multipage TIFF Patent Images on CD-ROM (G4 compression, approximately 800 patents fit on one CD, free

viewing software included)

$2.50 per patent (no size limit)

$8.00 Media fee per CD

FREE SERVICES:

1. Name: Patent Search

Purpose: Search and view U.S. patents.

Scope: U.S. patents back to Jan. 4, 1971 (images back to approx. 1980).

Searching: Fill in the box/point and click -- Boolean, advanced, patent number searches. Choice of seven selectable patent fields (inventor, assignee, title, abstract, etc.)

Comments: Displays images, bibliographic data, claims, abstract, title, patent classes, and references. Full patent must be ordered.

HELP: On-line legal information and searching help available. Optipat patent delivery service phone 800-445-9760.

COMMENTS: Best free site available.
 

NAME: Micropatent

ADDRESS: http://www.micropat.com

SUBJECT MATTER: U.S. and European patents and trademarks.

SERVICES:

1. Name: PatentWEB

Purpose: Search and view patents. Searching is free (with free registration), but viewing is not.

Scope: Search full text most recent 4 weeks U.S Patents.

Delivery of full text U.S. Patents back to 1974.

Delivery of EP, PCT patents/applications back to 1978.

Searching: By U.S. major classification.

Prices: (requires registeration and $50 non-refundable deposit for patent delivery).

View the front page of any patent -- US/EP/PCT ... $1.00

Download an actual copy of any patent -- US/EP/PCT (text and drawings) ... $3.00 per patent

Receive the ASCII FullText of any patent -- US only, by email ... $1.50 per patent

Receive an actual copy of any patent -- US/EP/PCT by fax (text and drawings) ... ...

US documents - $10 plus 75 cents per page, EP/PCT documents - $15 per 50 pages plus 75 cents per page

Receive an actual copy of any patent -- US/EP/PCT by postal mail (text and drawings) ...

US documents - $10 plus $3 shipping,

EP/PCT documents - $15 per 50 pages plus $3 shipping.

2. Name: Micropatent Patent Search

Purpose: Micropatent will do the search for you.

Price: Varies.

3. Name: On-line USPTO Gazette

Scope: Updated weekly, covers about the last six months.

Price: Free with registration.

4. Name: TrademarkWEB

Purpose: Search U.S. Federal Trademarks

Scope: Active U.S. Federal Trademarks back to 1884.

Abandoned, expired, cancelled back to 1984.

Searching: Field, boolean, text.

Price:

$20/day (text searching only), $30/day (text and image searching)

$100/month (text searching only), $150/month (text and image searching)

$995/year (text searching only), $1495/year (text and image searching)

HELP: On-line, e-mail, fax, toll free telephone 800-648-6787.

COMMENTS: Free practice U.S. Federal Trademark database available.
 

NAME: Optipat

SUBJECT MATTER: Document delivery.

SERVICES:

US Patent Copies $2.50 per patent . $5.00 per patent published before Jan 1, 1974

OptiFax 15 minute faxback patent services $9.00 per patent up to 20 pages, $.40 per additional page. (15 minute faxback only applies to U.S. patents from 1974-present).

Patent/Trademark File Histories $.95/page ($75 Minimum)

Assignment/Index/Ownership Search $75 First search, $25 each additional search (large searches may be higher)

Forward Patent Citation $35 first citation, $12 each additional citation

Foreign Patents WO, EP-B 1990-present EP-A

1987-present $15 plus $.25/page after 60 pages (Faxback add $.50 per page)

Foreign Patents All Other Countries $1.00/page ($15 minimum) (Faxback-add $1.50/page after 8 pages)
 

NAME: Questel-Orbit

ADDRESS: http://www.questel.orbit.com

SUBJECT MATTER: I.P., business, news, technical information on a variety of databases.

SUBSCRIPTION/PAY SERVICES:

1. Name: Questel and Orbit Online search

Comments: "Coming soon..."

2. Name: Questel and Orbit PATservice

Comments: "Coming soon..."

COMMENTS: Questel and Orbit are accessible via telnet at orbit.com.
 

NAME: Questel-Orbit QPAT

ADDRESS: http://qpat2.qpat.com or http://www.qpat.com

SUBJECT MATTER: U.S. Patents.

SUBSCRIPTION/PAY SERVICES:

1. Name: Full text subscription database.

Purpose: Search and view U.S. patents.

Scope: U.S. Patents back to Jan. 1, 1974. NO IMAGES.

Searching: Full function text, boolean, truncators, field searching, expansion.

Price: Starts at $195/month or $1,995/yr. (unlimited searching).

FREE SERVICES:

1. Name: Abstracts database (free with registration).

Purpose: Search and view front-page U.S. patent information.

Scope: U.S. patents back to Jan. 1, 1974.

Searching: Full function text, boolean, truncators, field searching, expansion.

2. Name: Demo database (no registration necessary).

Purpose: practice searching.

Scope: 6,541 U.S. patents.

Searching: Full function text, boolean, truncators, field searching, expansion.

HELP: Full online help available, toll free number 1-800-326-1710.
 

NAME: The Scientific and Technical Information Network (STN)

ADDRESS: http://stneasy.cas.org

SUBJECT MATTER: Technology information including some patent information.

SUBSCRIPTION/PAY SERVICES:

STN provides online access to over 200 technology databases, all of which are searchable using an easy search (text) or an advanced search (text, boolean, category, etc.). Pricing is based on number of searches ($2/search) and the results and type of desired output (free to $20/hit).

FREE SERVICES: Free demo only.

HELP: Online and phone customer service.

COMMENTS: Primarily useful as a current technology information provider, but has some patent and abstract databases.
 

NAME: Shadow Patent Office

ADDRESS: http://www.spo.eds.com/patent.html

SUBJECT MATTER: Full text U.S. Patents back to Jan. 1, 1972.

SUBSCRIPTION/PAY SERVICES: SPO has numerous options for advanced, comprehensive patent searches with fees ranging from $4.50 per patent hit to $50 - $175 depending on the complexity of the search, the number of patent hits, and the desired output, which include:  standard -- classification analysis, patent number, issue date, filing date, current US class and subclass, title and patent status (if one is designated) for each patent in the report.

Enhanced -- standard output, inventor, assignee, abstract, and an exemplary claim.

Services include:

Subject Search Reports

Infringement Search Reports

Classification Search

Full-Text Patent Retrieval

Forward/Backward Citation Search

Embedded Concept Retrieval

FREE SERVICES:

1. Name: Browse Recently Issued Patents

Purpose: View the last 52 weeks of patent titles and numbers

Scope: Last 52 weeks of U.S. Patents, updated weekly.

Searching: No searching available; organized by week issued, and listed by US Class.

2. Name: On-line Manual of Classification

Purpose: Display all current US Classes along with their descriptions and a complete Subclass hierarchy.

Scope: USPTO Manual of Clarification, updated about every 3 months (from March 1997).

Searching: None (browsing only).

3. Name: Display Specific Class/Subclass Hierarchy

Purpose: Retrieve a specific US Class Hierarchy for any Class/Subclass pair.

Scope: USPTO Manual of Classification

Searching: Input of Class/subclass pair.

Fictional Example:

enter 1000(class)/55(subclass)

output CLASS 1000 . Water fountains

Sub 5 . . Miniature

Sub 15 . . . Indoor

Sub 27 . . . . With extraneous ornamentation

Sub 55 . . . . . With gargoyle spout

Comments: Convenient for checking and clarifying Classifications.

4. Name: Patent Subject Search

Purpose: Search patents

Scope: U.S. patents back to Jan. 1, 1995; view titles, patent number, and classifications.

Searching: Text, keyword and anti-keyword fill-in-the-boxes.

5. Name: Infringement Search

Purpose: Patent family search (retrieves patents similar to the patent number entered).

Scope: U.S. patents back to Jan. 1, 1995.

Searching: By patent number only.

HELP: Limited on-line help, fax, e-mail, and toll free number 1-800-258-6739 (USA and Canada).

COMMENTS: Registration is free, and there are no monthly service charges. Registrants must supply billing information (credit card) prior to full service use.
 

NAME: Thomson & Thomson "SAEGIS"

ADDRESS: http://www.thomson-thomson.com

SUBJECT MATTER: Trademarks and copyright.

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES:

1. Name: SAEGIS TRADEMARKSCAN

Purpose: Trademark searches

Scope: U.S Federal

U.S. State

Canada

European (13 databases including International Register)

Searching: "Custom Search" and "Auto Query"

Auto-Query (fill in the boxes/point and click):

Search by "Your Reference", Trademark, International Class(es), Goods.

Custom Search (point and click): allows one to select four search categories from a list of 60+ (for example: claims, date/year abandoned, serial number).

Pricing:

Custom Search

Trademark $ .25 per hit

Trademark Plus $2.50 per hit

Full-Text $2.50 per hit

AutoQuery

Per Search (up to 75 records, Trademark Plus Format) $75.00

Each Additional Record Over 75 $2.50 per record

2. Name: SAEGIS Internet Search

Purpose: Search Internet for Instances of your Trademark

Scope: Internet

Searching: "Pairs proposed trademark with a proprietary list of keywords

linked to the International Classification of Goods and Services or any user-defined goods/services terms."

Price: $125/search.

FREE SERVICES (2 week guest subscription or with subscription):

1. Name: Practice U.S. Federal Trademark Database

Purpose: Allows one to practice searching in SAEGIS.

Scope: 60,000 records.

Search Methods: Custom Search and Auto-Query

2. Name: Internet Domain Name Search

Purpose: Searches Internet Domain name database(s).

Scope: U.S. and Canadian Domain Names

Search Methods: Domain Name, Domain Owner, Domain Owner Address, Contact Information (with prefix, suffix, midword truncation).

3. Name: SAEGIS Inbox

Purpose: Report management/manipulation program.

Scope: Free access limited to examples of a T&T full search, a T&T Internet search, and sample Trademarkscan Search Hitlist.

4. Name: SAEGIS TRADEMARK ALERT

Purpose: Updates user on recently granted trademarks.

Scope: Recent Trademarks.

5. Name: Virtual GazetteTM

Purpose: Updates on status transactions and record changes from USPTO.

Scope: Most recent 4 weeks of USPTO's official gazette.

HELP: Extensive On-line help (The Design Code Manual, International Guide To

Trademarks, The T&T Searching Handbook, SAEGIS Quick Reference) and toll-free help number 800-692-8833.

COMMENTS: No sign-up fees, monthly or annual maintenance charges, subscriber fees, or online connect time charges.
 

NAME: U.S. Copyright Office

ADDRESS: http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/

SUBJECT MATTER: United States Copyrights

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: None

FREE SERVICES:

1. General information about Copyright office, copyrights, and copyright law.

2. Downloadable forms.

COMMENTS: Does not provide direct access to searchable registration information or recorded documents (such a service is available on LOCIS (Library of Congress Information System), which is available via telnet at telnet://locis.loc.gov).
 

NAME: United States Patent and Trademark Office Website

ADDRESS: http://www.uspto.gov

SUBJECT MATTER: Patents/trademarks

SUBSCRIPTION/PAY SERVICES:

1. Name: Patent Document Delivery

Scope: $3/patent for most patents, plus delivery fees (see website for details).

FREE SERVICES:

1. Name: Patent Search

Purpose: Searching selected U.S. and foreign patents.

Scope: US Patent Bibliographic Database (front page information from US patents issued from 1/1/76 to most recent Tuesday); AIDS Patent Database (full text and images of AIDS related patents issued by the US, Japanese and European patent offices).

Searching: Boolean, advanced (numerous patent fields to choose from), patent number searches.

2. Name: Manual of Classification

Purpose: On-line U.S. PTO Manual of Classification with definitions.

Scope: Manual of Classification

Searching: Has full search capabilities (boolean, etc.)

3. Name: Weekly patent bibliographic raw data download.

4. Name: Downloadable Forms

Purpose: Allows one to download any number of USPTO forms (ex: PTO/SB/16 (3-97) Provisional Application for Patent Cover Sheet PTO/SB/17 (10-96) Fee Transmittal PTO/SB/18 (8-96) New Design Patent Application Transmittal)

Scope: USPTO forms.

HELP: Has decent on-line help for all areas, including database searching with examples.

COMMENTS: Also has on-line information about the USPTO, a complete fee schedule, as well as browseable legal information including the MPEP.
 

OTHER SOURCES:

1. USDA biotechnology and agriculture patent webpage (http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/Biotech_Patents) offers free access to recent (1994, 1995) full text, biotech patents and recent (1996) biotech patent titles. Searchable in natural language, boolean, field, etc., with on-line searching help.

2. Industry Canada, the Canadian Government's "economic flagship department," offers Strategis (http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_innov/patent/engdoc/cover.html), an online database site for business and technical information, including free access to the recent bibliographies of Canadian patents (10/89 through present). Searchable and browseable.

3. Japanese patent abstract database (http://www2.jpo-miti.go.jp/default.htm) has free searching (text and boolean) of some Japanese patent abstracts (dates unknown).

4. The Canadian Classification Index is available (http://weewannie.library.ubc.ca/patscan/patmanl.html) for free Canadian patent classification index browsing.

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