Search Facility Of UK Patent Office Moves To British Library

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

07 September 2005

On Monday 5 September, the British Library became the UK’s premier resource for information on patents, innovation and intellectual property, as the search facility of the UK Patent Office moved into the Library’s flagship building at St Pancras.

The move brought together the Patent Office’s London search room and the resources of the British Library’s Business & Intellectual Property Centre.

The Centre already provided free access to the world’s largest collection of market research reports and a comprehensive range of online subscription databases, and by incorporating the resources of the Patent Office, it now offers researchers, SMEs and entrepreneurs a one-stop-shop for the latest information on patents, markets, marketing and business.

According to a statement issued by the British Library:

"SMEs, entrepreneurs and innovators will be able to conduct database searches on patents and designs. Users will have access to unique trademark search files that are unavailable on the internet and can only be accessed at either the Business & Intellectual Property Centre or the Patent Office in Newport."

"These facilities are supplemented at St Pancras by the world’s most comprehensive collection of patent specifications and literature on patents, trademarks, designs and copyright. Combined with the Business & Intellectual Property Centre’s market research collections, these resources offer aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators everything they need from the initial development of a product or service to the stage of taking their ideas to market."

Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library, observed this week that:

”The British Library and the Patent Office enjoy a long history of close cooperation and share a common aim of supporting innovation. We are confident that the Patent Office move will deliver critical support during the start up phase to small businesses and entrepreneurs in London and the UK.”

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