Patent and IP Basics
The technical and legal framework for patents
Description
Patents can seem like daunting legal documents but once you’ve understood the basics they can be utilised to your advantage. In this course we join Duncan Clark, Head of PatSnap Academy. The course covers all the common questions about patents that you were too afraid to ask. We look at the different types of patents, how to identify them, classification systems and intellectual property ownership. This is a beginner level course which follows on from ‘Getting started with patents’ and takes about 40 minutes to complete.
Duration
Unit Progress
Modules
Modules
Module 1
What types of patent are there?
Duration: 0 Minutes
In this module, we’ll explore the various types of patents that exist within the different patent systems around the world. We’ll investigate utility patents, design patents and plant patents, as well as the difference between utility patents and utility model patents.
| Additional Resources |
|---|
| Do it in PatSnap: Use PatSnap Image Search to find Design Patents |
| What does the Apple vs Samsung ruling mean for design patents? |
| Module 1 - Transcript |
Module 2
What do patent numbers mean?
Duration: 0 Minutes
In this module, we’ll explore how patents are assigned numbers and what the numbers and codes can tell us about the invention or technology being protected. We’ll investigate how to use patent numbers to distinguish between applications and granted patents and how to use ‘kind codes’ to determine the type of document.
| Additional Resources |
|---|
| WIPO Country names and two letter codes |
| WIPO Kind Codes by authority |
| Do it in PatSnap: Use publication numbers and kind codes in searches |
| Module 2 - Transcript |
Module 3
What are the legal statuses of patents?
Duration: 0 Minutes
In this module, we’ll look at the legal status of patents, how they differ around the world, and what they mean in terms of protection (or non-protection). We’ll consider how these patent statuses can be used to determine whether a patent is active, inactive or pending.
| Additional Resources |
|---|
| Do it in PatSnap: Search by Simple Legal Status |
| Good news for Divisional Patent Applications in the UK |
| Module 3 - Transcript |
Module 4
What is a patent family?
Duration: 0 Minutes
Since patents have to be applied for at a national rather than an international level, it means that a single invention is often associated with numerous identical patents around the world. For this reason, the idea of a patent family was introduced so that patent analysts can rapidly identify patents that relate to a single invention around the world. In this session, we dive into the details of how patent families work, how patents are linked together using databases such as INPADOC and how they can impact interpretations of data from patent analysis.
| Additional Resources |
|---|
| EPO defintion of simple patent family |
| EPO guide to INPADOC |
| Do it in PatSnap: Use PatSnap Extended Family to find related patents |
| Module 4 - Transcript |
Module 5
What are the patent classification systems?
Duration: 0 Minutes
Classification codes are a type of categorization for patents which are used to classify the contents of a patent in a uniform manner. There are various different types of classification codes that are used which are used for different kinds of patents and in some cases are jurisdiction-specific. In this module, we’ll take a look at what these codes are, how they are applied and how they can be used.
| Additional Resources |
|---|
| Do it in PatSnap: Refine your search by specific classification code |
| Nanotechnology and the Art of the Patent Search |
| Module 5 - Transcript |
Module 6
How do you tell who owns a patent?
Duration: 0 Minutes
Patents can have complex patterns of ownership, including both individual and joint ownership as well as having the ability to be sold, or ‘assigned’ to other parties. There can be many different names that appear on a patent, both inventor names and names of organizations. In this module, we’ll discover what information can found relating to patent documents and how we can evaluate patent ownership.
| Additional Resources |
|---|
| Do it in PatSnap: Refine a search by Assignee |
| Licensing adds value to your Intellectual property |
| Module 6 - Transcript |
When you are ready to complete this unit, take the quiz to see what you remember.