UNIVERSAL AVAILABILITY OF PATENTS

Despite their daunting reputation, patent documents, or copies of them, are in fact remarkably easy to acquire. Although some million patent specifications are published each year for approximately half that number of new inventions, confusion is in general avoided because of the influence of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which enables the 40 patent offices to work together in the cause of universal availability, to standardize their documents and to designate them uniquely. The somewhat complicated publication sequence and numbering systems of patents, both in the UK and overseas, are explained. There are many sources of supply for published patent specifications, both national and international, public and private sector, to meet varying needs, whether document or information‐centred. Amongst these are the patent offices (both national and international), regional sub‐offices, national technical libraries, depository centres and various private sector services. Finally, a reminder is given that the Science Reference and Information Service is itself a specialist both in the supply of patent documents and in information about them.