Patent information on the Internet

The increasing importance of patent information for companies has been matched by the growth in Internet-and Web-based patent information services. These services are currently patchy but are improving steadily in quality and sophistication. Derwent Information’s Patent Explorer is the first service to make both European and US patents available on the same Web site in both full text and image form. Considers some of the problems inherent in the current state of the Internet (speed of access, security) and discusses the present and likely future issues associated with the pricing of patent services. Points to the continuing dominance of traditional online hosts and services for patent information, due to the broad coverage and sophistication of searching facilities, but suggests that this may be eroded as Web-based services improve.